Revenge
by Kris Skywalker
Summary: this is an Au story about the lost daughter of Anakin/Vader, who stumbles upon her true heritage through an act of betrayl from her boyfriend
1. Default Chapter

Revenge by Kris Skywalker  
  
A/N: This is an au story involving some original characters along with the traditional Star Wars characters. This is my first attempt at fanfic so any reviews are welcome.  
  
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns the all the familiar Star Wars characters and the last name of my character. If anything else is familiar I don't own it either. I'm merely borrowing George's creations for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of my friends. Please don't sue, I'm a college student with no money what so ever to my name.  
  
It was a dark and dreary night in September as Dawn was walking down the hall of the dormitory to her friend's room. Lightning flashed through the windows and the lights flickered. She was running now as a feeling of panic surged through her veins causing her to shudder.  
  
"Something is definitely wrong here," she muttered to herself, "I don't like this at all."  
  
A few minutes later she arrived at the door of Laura's room. She was standing at the closed door with her hand in the air about to knock when a chill came from the room and again she shuddered. She lowered her hand and stood frozen.  
  
"I have felt this before as a child, but I can't remember what it is from." Dawn thought to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by voices coming from inside.  
  
"Dawn is sure acting strange lately. It is as if she's two people." The female voice spoke.  
  
A boy replied, "Yeah she doesn't even answer to her name half the time either."  
  
The feeling became stronger as Dawn stood there listening to the conversation. Then she heard a third much louder and authoritarian voice join the conversation.  
  
"Where is the one you call Skywalker?" Demanded the third voice.  
  
"Skywalker? Isn't he a character in Star Wars?" Replied the boy innocently.  
  
"Don't be stupid, Skywalker is a girl and she is in this area. I can sense her presence. Laura Linde, or should I call you Johanna Sheridan, I suggest you cooperate or I will be forced to turn you over to Psi-Corps. As for you Matt Leuke, I find your sense of humor somewhat inappropriate."  
  
"Ah, Lord Vader. Now I understand what's going on. Forgive me for I did not get what you were talking about much sooner. This planet has an adverse effect on P-12 telepaths such as myself. Oh wait; I don't know what I am talking about, apologizing to a sith is not the way to go here. Besides you are Baka!"  
  
"Urgh. Be glad I'm not after you, your time will come. Tell Skywalker this, once I find her she will be mine." At this final statement Vader turned and left the room leaving Matt and Laura in his wake. Outside the door, Dawn stood frozen.  
  
"Wow. I didn't know Star Wars was real. Man I feel sorry for that Skywalker girl. I saw what Vader did to Luke in Empire Strikes Back." Dawn whispered to herself as she was walking back to her room. The feeling that she had dissipated.  
  
Later that night as Dawn was getting ready to go to bed, two people stood unnoticed in the shadows watching her.  
  
"Unfortunate it is that her mother made her forget who she is. Defenseless she is and knows not what awaits her." The smaller one spoke.  
  
"Will she be able to remember who she is before it's too late, Master Yoda?"  
  
"The damage is done Obi-Wan. Help from friends she needs then she will understand what she is. The process began already."  
  
"Then she is the one who will free Anakin?"  
  
"No, a decoy she is. The one who will save Anakin is Luke. That is why I had you send him to me. He will be safer with me. Kristen must join, or Luke will not be safe. If we lose Luke the war is lost.  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"Know we do, that Vader won't rest until Luke is on his side, but if Kristen joins, Luke will become a Jedi and be able to turn both of them back. Remember, Anakin thought Kristen was dead, but when she saw Star Wars for the first time last month, it triggered the connection she has with him. It is their destinies to do it this way."  
  
"May the Force be with her, then."  
  
The two snuck out of the room unnoticed and unheard.  
  
"Good night Kristen. Sleep well." Obi-Wan whispered as he turned back to look at the now sleeping girl. "Your father would be proud of you."  
  
Dawn smiled at the comment and pulled her purple blanket up over her face. She drifted into a very deep sleep and began to dream.  
  
"Kristen come to dinner. Sabe has made a wonderful meal for us."  
  
"Yes mother, I'll be there in a minute. I'm fixing an old speeder that dad gave me."  
  
"I swear you two are inseparable. You are always doing something with him. Which reminds me, do you know where he disappeared to this time?"  
  
Footsteps were heard coming down the hall, and Amidala turned as she heard the footsteps come closer.  
  
"Your highness, I'm sorry to interrupt..." Obi-Wan started to say as he bowed low to the Queen.  
  
"Go ahead Obi-Wan, we are about to sit down for dinner. You are welcome to join us if you want."  
  
"I'm sorry. I must decline the offer. We don't have time."  
  
"What do you mean we don't have time to eat?" Amidala asked as she looked into Obi-Wan's eyes searching for the answer. He quickly pulled his gaze away and let it land on Kristen in the other room.  
  
"Anakin completely turned to the Dark Side this time. Palpatine has given him orders to destroy you and Kristen. You must take her some place safe."  
  
In a shaky voice Amidala asked, "Where am I to take her?"  
  
"Some place far out of the reach of Palpatine. You must not tell anyone where you are going or who you are once you arrive there. Take her to a planet called Earth. It is a backwater planet in another galaxy. Once a resistance is formed they will join you there."  
  
"What is to become of you?"  
  
"I like the other Jedi, will try to stop Palpatine before he goes too far. You must leave now. May the Force be with you."  
  
"Good bye. I hope I will see you again." Amidala stated as Kristen came to see what was going on.  
  
"Bye Obi-wan." Kristen shouted at the now departing Jedi. He didn't turn around to wave. He just kept walking. "What was that about?"  
  
"We are leaving. Hurry up and gather your belongings."  
  
"But isn't dad coming?"  
  
"No. He has to stay here with Obi-Wan. I'm sure he'll join us later."  
  
"Oh. As long as he comes home to Tatooine, that's all that matters. I'll go get my stuff now." Kristen said as she was skipping to her room.  
  
"We're not going back to Tatooine."  
  
As Kristen heard this, her face paled and became visibly saddened.  
  
They walked hand and hand down to the main hangar. It was filled with lots of Nubian fighters. About halfway there, an explosion shook the city.  
  
"Here. This one Kristen, hurry up and get on." Amidala directed as she pushed her daughter on the ship. Before getting on herself, she stopped to look back. As she walked up the gangplank the ship began the procedures for take off. She hurried to the back where Kristen had found a window seat in the passenger area and strapped her in.  
  
Once the ship reached space, Kristen looked out the window. Her mother turned to see what made Kristen so interested with it. They both saw a flash of red light and an explosion. Debris from the now destroyed planet of Naboo rocked the ship. Amidala cried out in anguish as her beloved planet moved away from sight. She was startled when Kristen screamed.  
  
"What is it? What's wrong?" Amidala asked concerned for her daughter's well being.  
  
"I can't sense Father's presence anymore!" Kristen managed to reply between sobs.  
  
Dawn bolted straight up in bed. She was sweating and shaking all over. The dream scared her badly.  
  
She talked to herself and said, "This is the third dream I have had in the past month. It's always the same one too. I wonder what is wrong with me."  
  
She folded her blankets down and hopped out of bed. She walked down the hall to Laura's room. She pounded on the door in hopes to wake her.  
  
"What's wrong?" Laura asked groggily as she opened the door. The sight of Dawn crying concerned her.  
  
"I just had a nightmare. It was really bad. I need someone to talk to about it."  
  
"Then tell me. I'll stay up and listen to you."  
  
Dawn spent an hour that night telling Laura her dream. She didn't leave out any part of it. Laura was amazed by it. She tried to convince Dawn that it didn't mean anything. But Dawn kept on insisting that the dream meant something deeper and could not understand why she had been having those dreams.  
  
"Dawn, don't worry about it. Go back to bed and if it still bothers you tomorrow we can talk about it then."  
  
Dawn reluctantly went back to bed. She was restless the rest of the night. Voices inside her head kept waking her. At about one in the morning, she gave up on sleep. It wasn't coming easily and she knew not to force herself to sleep. She would be even more tired in the morning if she did so. When she did finally slip into sleep, it was the dreamless type of sleep that just served the purpose for her body to do what it needed to do.  
  
The next morning Laura met Matt at Kaufman, North Central College's dining hall. The building was crowded with tons of hungry students and not to mention very noisy. Laura sat telling Matt what happened the night before. Matt was amazed at the events of Dawn's dream. The two had a great time laughing at it. The laughter stopped abruptly as Matt spotted Dawn heading towards them.  
  
"Shh, Dawn's coming."  
  
The two sat in quiet as Dawn approached the table.  
  
"Hey guys. Sleep well?"  
  
"Better than you did!"  
  
Dawn glared daggers at this comment. Her reply to that was, "Well Laura, why don't you just tell the whole world that I'm insane?"  
  
"Sorry. I didn't think you would mind me telling Matt. After all he is our friend." Laura said innocently.  
  
"Ah never mind." Dawn whispered bitterly.  
  
For the next few minutes an awkward silence fell over the three friends. Dawn had her eyes cast downward on her food as her friends kept glancing at each other with nervous looks. Laura finished her mouthful of food and looked up.  
  
"I'm still positive your dream didn't mean anything. After all Star Wars is just a movie."  
  
"Yeah. Don't worry. Everything will be fine." Matt intoned after a few minutes had passed. "By the way, awesome necklace you have there. How come I haven't noticed it before?"  
  
Dawn launched into a response about how she had gotten it from her father when she was three.  
  
"I haven't taken it off since, but I usually keep it hidden. I'm afraid that someone might try to steal it. I just recently started to wear it so it could be seen. It's the only thing I have left of..."  
  
"Of what?" Matt and Laura acquired. They wanted a clear answer to the question, but Dawn just shook her head and didn't say anything.  
  
"Excuse me, but I need to get to class. I'll stop by later. Have a great day guys."  
  
"Sure. See you later Dawn. May the Force be with you." Matt said sarcastically.  
  
At that Dawn lost it. She was across the table holding Matt by the shirt before he knew what happened. Dawn was breathing heavily as the anger overcame her. "You don't know what you're talking about!" She shouted.  
  
Matt was in shock and just starred at her with wide eyes. "I, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just giving you a hard time." He stammered with difficulty.  
  
"Yeah. Well you better watch your mouth. One of these days it will get you into trouble. Mark my words. Don't talk to me as if I'm some sort of freak. It's not my fault that I have been having strange dreams. You make it sound like a sin!"  
  
"Well it's just weird that's all."  
  
"What about Vader talking to you guys the other night? Isn't that weird too. Are you on his side or something?"  
  
"Both of you calm down now!" Shouted Laura over the two loudest people in the room. "Dawn, I'll talk to Matt, you just go to class now."  
  
"Fine! See you later." With that Dawn turned to leave.  
  
Laura and Matt stood looking at each other for a while.  
  
"She knows about Vader. I wonder how she does though."  
  
"Do you remember what he said about sensing Skywalker's presence in the area?"  
  
"Yeah. You think she's her, don't you Laura?"  
  
"It all adds up though. Her dream had to do with Anakin and Amidala. According to the Star Wars timeline Anakin turns into Vader. And if she is the daughter of Anakin then we know what that means..."  
  
The two exchanged nervous glances. Laura started to run in the direction that Dawn left in order to find her. Hoping that she might catch up with her before Vader did.  
  
Later that afternoon, Laura found her in her room. Dawn was typing a paper for some sort of class when Laura came up behind her.  
  
"Boo!!" Yelled Laura at the top of her lungs making Dawn jump ten feet off her chair.  
  
"Don't do that." At the moment she said that a book came flying off her desk shelf and almost hit Laura in the head.  
  
"Talk about not doing something, geesh, you almost hit me in the head. Don't use the Force like that."  
  
"I didn't. I don't know how to use the Force. I was raised here."  
  
"Umm... that's what I wanted to talk about. You do know how to use the Force and Vader is looking for you."  
  
"No he isn't. What would he want with me?" Dawn asked while crossing her arms across her chest.  
  
"Vader said he was looking for Skywalker. Now according to your dream you are related to Anakin Skywalker. So doesn't that make you think that he's after you?"  
  
Exasperated Dawn sighed, "It was just a stupid dream. I think Matt was right about it."  
  
"So you don't believe me then?"  
  
"Honestly no I don't."  
  
"Fine have it your way. But please be careful."  
  
"For what? Nothing is going to happen."  
  
Laura shrugged at the comment. "You never know what will happen. Besides I think you are Skywalker, but that is just my opinion."  
  
"Get off it. I need to work on this paper."  
  
"What paper? All I see is something that says The Force is... all over the screen"  
  
"Huh? I didn't write that."  
  
"It's on your screen. So you must have written it."  
  
Both girls jumped ten feet high as a banging on the door was heard.  
  
"Come in... I'm not busy!" Dawn yelled at the door trying to scare away who ever was there.  
  
"Hey girls! What's up?"  
  
"Oh hi Tamra. I wasn't expecting you. Sorry if I sounded rude."  
  
"No problem. I didn't mean to disturb you two or anything. Have I missed something?"  
  
Dawn looked around nervously hoping Tamra hadn't seen what she had been typing. "Uh, no you didn't. We were having a conversation about a dream I had last night. That's all, it wasn't a biggie."  
  
"I love dreams. Please tell me what it was about."  
  
"No, I don't want to go into it right now. It has had me a little uptight lately."  
  
"A little uptight, gee I thought you weren't upset about it." Replied Laura sarcastically.  
  
Dawn shot Laura a sadistic look and turned her gaze back to the computer screen. Agitated she sat there deleting what she had been typing earlier. Tamra was watching them both with curiosity wondering what exactly had happened earlier between the two. When they didn't speak for at least five minutes she attempted to break the ice by commenting on Dawn's Star Wars posters that took up half of the small dorm room. But nothing she said or did got their attention.  
  
"I have never seen you two like this before."  
  
"Well get used to it." Dawn replied under her breath.  
  
"I heard that!" Replied Laura, "Why can't you grow up and realize that sometimes movies and dreams do come true?"  
  
"I hardly consider that to be grown up. And if I were you, I'd be quiet about the whole situation if you knew what was good for you."  
  
"Ok. I missed something. I would like to know what is going on between the two of you even if I have to tickle it out of you!"  
  
Dawn and Laura groaned in unison at the thought of being tickled. Laura ran to hide behind Dawn to avoid being tickled. Tamra started cracking up at them.  
  
Looking back at Laura, Dawn laughed and said, "Every woman for herself now get away from me."  
  
Tamra couldn't help but laugh as Laura came rushing out and tried to climb on the top bunk bed to get out of reach. "Finally I got you two to laugh! Now tell me what is going on. I am your friend too."  
  
"Fine." Dawn sighed exasperated.  
  
They sat in a circle on the green and white rug between the beds and the dresser. The conversation lasted practically all night. The three of them discussed the possible meaning behind the dreams and the conversation with Vader. Both Laura and Dawn got into it with passion and didn't quit discussing it even though Jen the RA, after complaining that everything smelled like cat, told them they needed to be a bit quieter because it was after quiet hours. Soon after one in the morning they had fallen asleep in Dawn's room. They were sleeping on the floor with no blankets or pillows but when they awoke the next morning Dawn had been moved to her bed and tucked in and the other two were not touched.  
  
"Did you wake up without telling us and get into your warm bed?" The two asked in unison.  
  
"No. But I did wake up for a minute to turn around and I was in some one's arms so I shut my eyes again."  
  
"Did you see who it was?"  
  
"It was too dark and I think he was dressed in black."  
  
All three looked at each other and shivered. They all knew what each other was thinking about. Vader someone thought and Dawn picked it up and showed the understanding on her face.  
  
"What's wrong?" Asked Laura.  
  
"I heard you guys say that you thought it was Vader."  
  
"Uh, I only thought it."  
  
"So did I. That's weird you do have the gift of the Force."  
  
Dawn laughed at the comment and was obviously embarrassed by it. The other two girls noticed Dawn's cheeks reddened and looked away quickly.  
  
Tamra suggested, "Why don't we see the limits of your powers."  
  
"I don't know. I don't think it would be a good idea given what just happened last night. I wouldn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself at the moment."  
  
"We need to do it now. It might be the only way you will know who your true self is."  
  
"Slow down Laura. What are you talking about?"  
  
"Vader said that Skywalker was a girl and he could sense her presence in the area. All of what is happening suggests that you are this person."  
  
Dawn paled at the comment and shifted uncomfortably on her bed. The girls all sat quietly for a few minutes waiting for something to happen. Finally Dawn got up and turned the TV on and starred at it. She reached out with her hand and the remote flew across the room and into her hand. Exhausted at the attempt she fell back wards into her bed. Tamra ran to see what was wrong with Dawn and sat at the edge of the bed.  
  
"Wow I haven't done that for a long time."  
  
"So you are Skywalker then?" asked Laura hearing what Dawn had just said.  
  
Laughter came from the bed. "Yeah I imagine so. Go figure. Now if only I can remember other stuff I'd be in great shape. I hate feeling so vulnerable."  
  
"I'm sure everything will come in time. Just take it day by day."  
  
They all started laughing and were on the floor in hysterics in a matter of minutes. The sun started to shine brightly into the room making everything peaceful for the rest of the day. The girls all went to class like normal. Dawn went to her Psychology class in Goldsphon. She walked passed a house that had the voodoo dolls from the Blair Witch Project hanging on a tree. She took one look at those dolls and started to run. There was something about them that made her think of Vader. She walked into to class huffing and puffing. Glen, the teacher looked at her with a startled expression on his face.  
  
"Dawn are you alright? You look a bit flushed today."  
  
"I'm fine but thanks for asking." She said as she was taking her seat.  
  
Glen began his lecture as usual, but instead of paying attention to it Dawn started to daydream.  
  
She was transported to a desert planet with twin suns in the sky. The glare caused her to shield her eyes. Looking down she realized that she was trapped in a little kid's body. A voice was calling for someone named Kristen. It was a male voice, one that was soft and comforting. Dawn looked around to see if there was anybody else around but there wasn't anyone in sight. As she kept searching the desert a blond haired figure came over a hill in the distance.  
  
"There you are. I've been searching for you everywhere." The blonde haired man intoned as he picked up Dawn and spun her around.  
  
"Put me down!" Dawn screamed to the stranger with panic in her voice.  
  
"Whoa there. I think you've been out in the suns a bit too long. You usually laugh when I do that."  
  
I'd appreciate it if you left me alone. I don't talk to strangers."  
  
The blonde haired man placed a hand on her forehead to make sure she didn't have a fever. "I think we better get you back indoors. Even though you don't have a fever it might be a good idea to get you to a medic." He explained as he moved his hand to her shoulder.  
  
Dawn brushed it away with a shrug. "I can take care of myself. Now if you don't mind I would like an explanation as to what the hell is going on here."  
  
She watched the stunned look on his face with amusement. Then she looked back at her size. Noticing that she couldn't be more than three years old, she slapped herself across the mouth for not being more careful. The blonde haired man just looked confused and started to push her towards a settlement a few miles away.  
  
"That's such forceful language for a young lady to be using. Where have you heard it?"  
  
"Listen. I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not Kristen, my name is Dawn."  
  
"Oh I get it. You're playing make believe again. Very clever, I should have known. You've done this once before.  
  
"I'm not playing." Dawn protested. "I want to know who you are and where we are, now."  
  
"Ok. Ok. I'm Anakin Skywalker, your father and we are on Tatooine." Anakin replied giving into his daughter's demands.  
  
They both stopped dead in their tracks as the spirit of Obi-Wan appeared. He had the blue aurora of a person that has become one with the Force. Anakin stood shocked at the vision of his master.  
  
"Master Obi-Wan?"  
  
"Yes Anakin, it is I."  
  
"But you're old and dead."  
  
"You were always so observant." Obi-Wan said as he rolled his eyes. Then his face grew sad.  
  
Anakin stood there dumbfounded not comprehending what was going on. Obi-Wan turned his gaze to Dawn, who was now her normal size. The two of them where swept away by a cloud of mist. When they landed a black nothingness enveloped them.  
  
"Listen to what I have to say."  
  
"Uh. Ok." Dawn said lamely.  
  
"I've been watching you for the past few days. You haven't accepted the obvious truth that you are Kristen Skywalker. It is imperative that you do."  
  
"I believe you. But there is a slight problem, I don't have my lightsaber and I am having problems using the Force."  
  
"You will find your lightsaber tonight and as for the Force, you are just out of practice. You will forget that Vader is your father and none of the movies are true."  
  
The scene faded and Dawn tuned into Glen's lecture. This to her amazement was still going on.  
  
"Welcome back to the world of the living, Dawn. I've been calling on you for five minutes now."  
  
"You have? Man I'm so sorry. My mind was wandering and I meant nothing by it, I swear."  
  
"Don't worry. There is nothing to be concerned about because I was only giving you a hard time. But if you would be so kind as to share your daydream with us I might just forget the whole incident happened."  
  
"Um...I really don't want to. It wouldn't make any sense to you because it is beyond your comprehension."  
  
Laughing, Glen spat out, "Oh so you don't think I would understand. You forget that I am able to help you decode what your dreams are telling you and help you sort them out."  
  
"That's just it, they make perfect sense to me but to anyone else they wouldn't. I can't explain it, the Force works in mysterious ways and I have to follow it. Also I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me Dawn."  
  
"I want you to come in for some psych evaluations. This isn't normal behavior for anybody."  
  
Dawn stood up with her face flushed as the anger welled up inside of her. Shaking her head at Glen who was now coming toward her, she picked up her book bag, which was sitting on the chair next to her, and walked to the aisle. Just as she was about to leave, Glen caught her by the arm and forced her back to her seat. She began to protest but Glen wouldn't hear it. Soon everyone in the room was yelling at her to shut up and pay attention to the lecture at hand. That's when it happened, all the notebooks that her classmates had been writing in suddenly flew across the room at Glen, but instead of hitting him they flew around him, hit the chalkboard behind him with a bang and crashed to the white tiled floor. All the while Dawn's fellow students sat straight up in their seats gasping at the peculiar sight and Dawn sat there with no expression on her face starring at Glen.  
  
"Very funny class. You've all planned this perfectly and I commend you for that. But it's time to get back to the lesson." As he was speaking he glanced around to see the class still panic stricken all except for Dawn. Her face had the look of total confusion and amazement on it and she was totally enjoying the circus that was her class.  
  
"We must have a poltergeist in here." Murmured Dawn under her breath as she was watching everything.  
  
"No more from you! Keep your mouth shut; I don't want you to encourage them any further." Glen spat with contempt at Dawn. He was amazed when she didn't flinch at his anger like the rest of the class had done so.  
  
She spoke to Glen with a calm and even voice, "You wanted me to be quiet so you could continue your lesson. I suggest you do so before I decide that I am really going to leave. It would be a pity if more outbursts such as that occurred, even though I must admit that was totally cool. I wonder how they came up with that."  
  
Rolling his eyes Glen dismissed the class. He pointed at Dawn and she remained seated as the rest of the class walked out of the room. Glen began pacing the room and muttering under his breath while Dawn sat quietly in her seat waiting for Glen to dismiss her.  
  
"What's gotten into you today? First you come in all flushed and having problems breathing, and then you disrupt the class. Tell me are you taking drugs?"  
  
Dawn shook her head to negate this accusation and Glen kept talking. "And that thing you did with the notebooks, I could have you expelled from this school for threatening a teacher's life."  
  
Raising an eyebrow to his comment, she frowned and whispered, " You think that I did that. I don't know what you are talking about."  
  
"Somehow you used magic to do that, you must tell me how you did it."  
  
"I swear I didn't do it. Magic doesn't exist; you above all people should understand that. Now can I leave before I'm late to my next class?"  
  
"Uh, sure. But I don't want a repeat of this on Friday. Understood?"  
  
Dawn didn't reply, but instead walked out of the room without peeking back. Her next classes went by without incident, as did the rest of the week.  
  
On Monday morning of the following week, Dawn woke feeling different. She still hadn't found the lightsaber that Obi-Wan said she would find and her roommate had returned from home. She no longer felt that the stuff she had valued before held no meaning for her. Alex had noticed the change in her roommate but hadn't said anything about it yet. She was wondering what Dawn had been doing that week and decided she didn't want to know. Dawn picked up on her thoughts through the Force, which had been coming back to her more rapidly by then.  
  
"You're right; you don't want to know what happened this week." Dawn told Alex with a smile, "It's far too complicated to explain as of this point in time."  
  
Alex didn't respond but instead gathered her belongings and left for class. Dawn sighed and sat down at her desk and computer. She waited for ten minutes before it finally booted up then had to wait five more minutes before the Internet booted up. "Stupid Earth technology takes forever for anything to work properly. I never had this problem back home." She muttered to herself. Once everything booted up she checked her email at hotmail.com. Much to her amazement she had mail from someone other than her friends. As she sat reading the letter, her eyes bugged out of her head. "Wow I can't believe this, it must be some sort of mistake."  
  
"Hey Dawn, um I mean Kris, are you busy?" Laura blurted out as she walked into Dawn's room.  
  
"No, but I need to ask you for a favor."  
  
"Anything. You know I'd help you with anything."  
  
"Can you read this to me please?"  
  
Giving Dawn a strange look, Laura did as she was asked. She read the E-mail out loud.  
  
Commander Skywalker:  
  
The Alliance needs your help in defeating the Empire. They are currently headed for Earth and plan on taking the planet over. General Kenobi has alerted me as to your whereabouts. This is no laughing matter and it would be greatly appreciated if you could help. Find Captain Raphael Solo and his team and join forces with him, take command as your new title permits Commander. Your abilities are greatly needed to conquer the Empire on Earth. You are to receive orders from me directly or through Princess Leia Organa, and you are to remain in contact with us. May the Force be with you!  
  
Senator Mothma  
  
"So what do you think about that?"  
  
"It's interesting, but we need to know if the senator is talking about you or Luke."  
  
"Luke, he isn't here. I would have known if he was here or not, besides I don't think that my brother would be a commander in the Alliance because he's such a whiner."  
  
"True. You do realize that this would put your life in danger if you decided to do so."  
  
Dawn contemplated this for a minute. "It is the will of the Force that I do this, and thus I must fulfill this part of my destiny."  
  
"Well I'm behind you all the way."  
  
"Hey Girls! What's up?" Tamra asked while poking her head in the door.  
  
"I guess you want to know what's going on again, huh? So here's the deal. I got an E-mail from Senator Mothma saying that she wants me to help her in the fight against the Empire."  
  
"Well are you?"  
  
"It is the will of the Force, so I must do so." Dawn said solemnly.  
  
Tamra glanced from Dawn to Laura as she felt her heart jerk.  
  
"Tamra, I must do this and I need to know if you are behind me or not. I need all the help I can get."  
  
"Ok. I'll help."  
  
"Good, now we must plan a strategy."  
  
"Well don't we need to find who that Solo guy is first?"  
  
"I have a pretty good idea of who he is." Dawn spoke mischievously.  
  
Tamra began bouncing off the walls again as she heard Dawn's comment. All three girls started laughing hysterically.  
  
At the same time on the star destroyer Executor, Darth Vader paced the bridge. The crew of the ship hurried to get out of his way in fear for their lives.  
  
"Lord Vader..."  
  
"What is it Admiral?"  
  
"My sources found that the girl is planning on joining the Alliance. She's going to stop you at all cost."  
  
"No Admiral, she will not."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"She will be a valuable asset to us. I want you to find her and bring her to me."  
  
"Yes my lord."  
  
At this the admiral turned and left the bridge. Vader stalked over to his favorite window with his black cape flowing behind him. He searched the Force for his daughter's presence and eventually found it to be so close but yet so far away. He stood there despite knowing that his crew was starring at him with confusion as they always do when he stood there.  
  
"Soon we will be together again and ruling side by side as it should be, my daughter." He called through the Force.  
  
Back on Earth, Dawn picked up the phone to call Stephen Bock a.k.a. Raphael Solo.  
  
"Bock residence."  
  
"Hi Melissa, can I speak with Stephen please?"  
  
"Oh sure Dawn let me get him for you. Just a minute."  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Hey Solo..."  
  
"How did you know that information?"  
  
"Mothma told me. She wants me to join forces with you and your team."  
  
"Why? You have nothing to do with the Alliance. Wait a minute you must be an Imperial spy!"  
  
"I am not!!!"  
  
"Then who are you?"  
  
"I'm Kristen Skywalker." Dawn said with a lump in her throat.  
  
"No you can't be. She's dead and so is Amidala!"  
  
"I'm not dead, Raph. We moved here after my father died in the explosion."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me before?"  
  
"Because I didn't know. My mom didn't want me to have anything to do with the Force or anything that had to do with home."  
  
There was a moment of silence on the other end. When Raphael did manage to speak it was with a distinct sadness.  
  
"All this time, I thought you were dead, but you were alive and my girlfriend. Damn it! I promised Anakin I'd look after you and eventually marry you! Now you're with Phil. I failed him."  
  
"It's not your fault. You didn't know that I was alive. There was no way you could have known because I didn't even know!"  
  
"I have one question for you just so I can prove it is you... What color is your lightsaber?"  
  
"Purple and I made it when I was three but I made it so I could use it in the future." Replied Dawn picking up on Raphael's unasked question."  
  
"It is you. Ok but if you are to join us, I'm in charge and you must do what I say."  
  
"Not anymore you're not. Mothma told me to take charge and promoted me to commander. Take it up with her if you don't like it."  
  
"Uh fine. So what do you suggest we do first?"  
  
"Recruit people and find out what the Empire is up to."  
  
"Good plan. Listen I have to go, we will talk about this later."  
  
"Ok. Talk to you later."  
  
"Kris, May the Force be with you."  
  
"And with you also, good night."  
  
Dawn hung up the phone and turned to her friends. They stood in shock as she smiled at them. "All set."  
  
"Good. Now what do we do."  
  
"We wait until the Empire makes a move. There isn't much we can do except for waiting."  
  
"I don't like waiting." Laura said.  
  
"Neither do I, but it's a good bet that they haven't figured out we are here. Oh and another thing, don't listen to anything in the Star Wars movies, they are not real." Dawn lied to the other girls knowing perfectly well that they were in a dangerous position. Her powers made them vulnerable because it was like a sign that cried for them to be found.  
  
The next few weeks were relatively uneventful for Dawn and her friends. Running around to get supplies they didn't notice what was going on under their noses, especially with their guys. One night in the middle of October as Dawn was attempting to hack into the Imperial database, she received an instant message from Solo. The conversation started off normal enough about business but turned into an "I want you back as a girl friend" conversation. A spark of hope shot through Dawn's heart. She had wanted to get back together with him ever since he broke up with her in August. As soon as the talk began it ended. He began to speak of his new girlfriend Brandy, a blonde from Texas, whom he never met.  
  
"Raph, I don't have time for this. I need to hack into this file before they catch me. Is there any chance we could talk about this later?"  
  
"Oh yeah sure. I think I was wrong about telling you that though."  
  
"Well all I can tell you is to follow your heart and it won't lead you astray. No matter what your choice is, I will stand behind you. Even though I'm positive we are meant to be together."  
  
"Um, fine. Bye."  
  
After she hung up the phone, she went back to work. An hour passed and she still hadn't figured out the password to Vader's personal files.  
  
"Dawn go to bed. There's always tomorrow to figure out what you want to type for Brodhead's class." Alex murmured as she was trying to go to sleep.  
  
Sighing, Dawn shut off her computer and changed for bed. The night proved to be long and restless. Once she was able to sleep, her dreams were filled with visions of death and suffering, images that had been no stranger to her in the past month. The war in her home galaxy had escalated to the point of expansion and it was only a matter of time before an invasion army reached Earth. Constantly thinking about a way to defend the planet was weighing her down to the point of depression. But she had no time to think of how she felt, having a team to lead and a family to take care of occupied most of her thought time. How she and her friends made it through the first semester, she may never know.  
  
December came and with that it was time to go home for a month. Dawn wasn't looking forward to it as to the fact that her allies had to go home to Wisconsin and Solo had informed her that storm troopers had successfully infiltrated their home area. She knew now that she had to be careful not to blow her cover or not to tell her mother. Dawn imagined what would happen if her mom ever did find out that she knew the whole truth about the past. Finally she pulled into the parking lot of her home. The drive was more than enough time to get her thoughts in place and to be prepared if anything should happen. She reached for her cell phone in the passenger seat and turned it on. When her dad answered, she asked for some help upstairs.  
  
Settling into her room was no easy task. First she had to reconfigure her computer to hide her files because her mom used her computer to play games on. Also she had to make sure that her room was comfortable to hide out in if it came to a situation that required her to hide for her safety. After everything was the way she wanted, Dawn made a phone call to Raphael to tell him she was home.  
  
"Brandy's here, Kris. I would like you to meet her in person. Then we all can go and stop the Imperial weapons shipment that's coming in tonight."  
  
"That sounds great. So you want to meet at my house around eleven? My parents will be sleeping at that time."  
  
"Great see you then."  
  
The next few hours dragged on for Dawn while she was getting ready for the mission. She pulled on a black pair of pants and a sweatshirt with a pair of matching shoes. She looked around the house for a flashlight but instead found her lightsaber, it was hidden in a closet she wasn't supposed to have access to. She turned it around in her hands to examine it to make sure it was in the shape she had left it in and she sighed. A purple blade shot from the base of the handle with a humming sound when she activated it. "Good it still works," she thought to herself as she clipped it to her belt. She glanced at her clock on the nightstand and realized she had five minutes before her partners were supposed to arrive. Dawn walked out into the front room and then out into the hall to wait. When she saw Raphael approach, she went outside.  
  
"Kris this is Brandy." Raphael introduced the two girls with a smile.  
  
Brandy outstretched her hand for Dawn to shake but frowned when she noticed that Dawn was glaring at her.  
  
"We need to get going. There isn't much time for dilly dallying around." Dawn said coldly as she turned to Raphael.  
  
"Alright let's get going."  
  
Raphael led the way with Brandy on his arm, leaving a brooding Dawn to follow closely behind. He led them through the town, occasionally stepping to the side to avoid being caught by storm troopers.  
  
"The base should be in range in five minutes."  
  
"That's what you said two hours ago, Raph."  
  
"I'm cold and tired." Complained Brandy.  
  
"Oh shut up! No one told you to come along. You made that decision your self."  
  
"Hey that's it!" Shouted Raphael pointing at an old abandoned building on the outskirts of Hoffman Estates.  
  
"They sure know how to pick them, huh?"  
  
"Yup. Now you both know what you have to do. Kris you are going to hack into the entire imperial network and delete as many files as you can. And Brandy is going to come with me." Raphael said as he was walking behind the two girls. He put his arm around Brandy and gave her a kiss while Dawn was watching.  
  
"You two really need to get a room and I thought I told ya Raph that I would appreciate it if you didn't do that in front of me."  
  
Just to spite her, Raph gave Brandy a long passionate kiss and turned to stick his tongue out at Dawn only to notice that she had gone on ahead.  
  
"What are you going to do about her?"  
  
"Remember what I told you? They are looking for her and not us, so if we get into trouble we will just turn her in." He said with a smile on his lips. Brandy returned it as they headed off to join Dawn. When they caught up with her, they both grabbed her by the arm to hold her back so they could all go in at the same time.  
  
Entering the building wasn't easy. There were guards and traps to get passed then a legion of storm troopers to get bye. Once they made it past everything they all headed in their separate directions.  
  
Dawn went straight to the computer terminals but made it as far as the stairs a few feet away from the entryway when storm troopers stopped her.  
  
"Freeze!" Shouted a storm trooper while pointing a blaster at Dawn.  
  
She stopped in her tracks and put her hands up in the air to show she wasn't armed. The lightsaber that she had hung on her belt just hours before had been moved to a secure position under her clothing, a technique shown to her by her father. She watched in amazement as Raphael and Brandy came up behind the storm trooper and stood there.  
  
"Yeah she's the rebel alright. We saw her come in. Apparently she's here to sabotage our main computer systems."  
  
"What are you talking about? You two were going to help me remember?" Dawn asked dismayed.  
  
The storm trooper looked in Raphael's direction only to see him negate the statement. His gaze turned towards Dawn and he wore a sympathetic look on his face as more storm troopers came and surrounded her.  
  
"Now I get him all to myself, isn't life great?" Brandy said with an arrogant tone in her voice.  
  
"So that's what all this is about, trying to get me out of the way so you can have him. I think that's a little lame." Dawn sighed and took a step in their direction. The storm trooper behind her grabbed her by the arm to pull her back. She resisted and tried to fight her way out but there were too many of them. Raphael watched as Dawn was knocked to the grown by a blow to the head with the butt end of a blaster. For Dawn everything just went blank after a sharp pain in her head erupted. Raphael went to look to see if she was all right but Brandy held him back. A tear came to his eye but he wiped it away before anybody had a chance to see it. They both watched as Dawn was dragged to the shuttle bay between two of the troopers. Even though she was unconscious she was thrown into the brig of the ship, they were going to transport her to Vader's flagship, the Executer for him to deal with personally. Once on board the troopers were going to report to Vader but at the moment he  
was occupied with other pressing matters. So the troopers threw her into a cell and waited for their master to return in order to begin the interrogation.  
  
Around the same time this was happening, Tamra and Laura were having a sleep over in their home state of Wisconsin. The two girls had gotten together over the break period to help cope with the fact that they weren't at school anymore for a month at least. Laura popped in one of her many anime videos and they sat on the living room couch and glared at the TV for a few hours. A sound of heavy breathing woke them from their trance. As the girls glanced around to see who was in the room with them, Vader stepped out from the shadows. Laura and Tamra exchanged nervous looks and both went pale.  
  
"Lord Vader, I didn't expect you to come here." Laura said while Tamra stood up and walked over to Vader. She walked around him a few times, and then eventually started to feel the material of his armor.  
  
"Wow! This is so cool. Were did you get that awesome costume? It looks so real."  
  
"It's not a costume, but my armor." Was Vader's short but harsh reply.  
  
Tamra stared back at Vader blankly and then shook her head and laughed lightly, "Oh, of course! It's your armor!" She said going along with what she thought was a joke.  
  
"Don't patronize me. I find your lack of faith disturbing," he breathed heavily through his mask.  
  
At this comment Tamra backed away slowly.  
  
"You mean... you-you're real?" She looked to Laura's confirming facial expression and then glanced back at Vader, "But I thought that you were someone else. Wow! Wait until my friends hear about th-!"  
  
At this Vader raised his hand to make her quiet and Force pushed her across the room. She landed against the far wall with a loud thump and slid to the floor causing Laura to gasp with horror and back away.  
  
"You've found Skywalker, where is she?"  
  
"Look I'm not going to betray my friend, why don't you use the Force to locate her?"  
  
"The Force is very difficult to use on this planet. It takes a lot of energy and effort."  
  
"Well that explains why she almost past out that one time, Tamra." Laura said, but she received no response. Vader walked to Laura and stood in front of her. With one swift movement he was standing a few inches from her with his cape wrapped around him.  
  
"I came to you in the first place because of your telepathic abilities, now if you want the Empire's continued protection against your enemies, I suggest you tell me," Vader told Laura as he was playing on her insecurities, "Besides you won't be betraying her. She is in danger and if you don't help her she will die," he continued this time lying.  
  
"No I won't help you. Now get out of my house!"  
  
"So be it. You are no longer protected by the Empire." With that last comment, Vader strode out of the room and headed towards his shuttle that was hidden in the local forest. After he left, Laura ran to Tamra's side to make sure she was all right.  
  
"What happened?" Asked Tamra while rubbing her head.  
  
"Vader." Was all that Laura could manage to reply.  
  
"Did I miss much?"  
  
"No. Just some threats that's all." Laura replied helping Tamra to her feet.  
  
A few hours later on the Executer, Dawn awoke with a splitting headache with no idea of where she was.  
  
"By the Force, where am I?" She asked as she pulled herself to her feet. The room she found herself in was dimly lit with a small crude cot against one of the gray walls. She stood still for a minute straining to hear any sort of sound but all she heard was her own labored breathing.  
  
"Calm yourself, there isn't anything to be concerned about, yet." She told herself. "Raph wouldn't sell you out." But that wasn't what the memories of what had happened in the old abandoned building told her. Suddenly becoming aware of the surging pain that shot through her skull, Dawn grabbed her head and fell back to the floor. Images of Raphael and Brandy began to haunt her vision and made her sick to her stomach.  
  
"How could you betray me? I loved you! What have I done to make you do this to me?" She said while still holding her head and rolling over onto her back. As if on cue the door to the cell hissed open, interrupting her questions. She flew to her feet and instinctively reached for the place where she had put her light saber and her face paled when she realized it wasn't there anymore.  
  
"Looking for this, Rebel Scum?" Asked a white clad storm trooper with as much venom he could muster. "Your friends made sure we wouldn't have any problems with you." At this the storm trooper grabbed Dawn and put binders on her hands expecting her to fight back, but she didn't. They led her down the corridors of the ship to a room about the size of her dorm room at school. It consisted of a table with straps and various torture devices. An officer of the ship, a short lanky man with a baldhead, came into view with a needle in his hands. He gestured the guards to bring to Dawn towards him and smiled as they complied.  
  
"I'm glad to have you join our company." The man smiled evilly as he noticed Dawn struggle to get away.  
  
"Isn't this illegal or something? I thought that you couldn't do anything without Vader's permission."  
  
"What Vader doesn't know won't hurt him." He replied back while sticking the needle into her arm. The room began to spin and her knees buckled under her. A sharp pain to the gut made her gasp. The next thing she knew she was strapped to the table looking up at the men who had gathered around her. The drug that had been injected into her made her lose all contact with the Force so now she was helpless. These men punched her and kicked her for what seemed like forever. She didn't give them any more reason to keep on doing it, she never screamed or cried no matter how bad the pain made her feel. By the time they were through with her, she had blood dripping from her mouth and nose and she was sure that some of her bones were broken but didn't know which ones. At that point she had lost all feeling in her body. The guards dragged her limp body back to her cell and dropped her on the floor leaving her alone with the pain she was experiencing. The pain was so bad that she didn't  
even notice the cold tremor in the Force as Vader boarded his ship. He felt it though but didn't think of going to her at this point in time, he still needed to contact the Emperor on how the mission was going, the mission to conquer Earth.  
  
At about four a.m. the next morning, Brandy and Raphael were sitting around in the open field of a park, deeply immersed in a conversation.  
  
"Well what are we going to tell her mother?"  
  
"We can tell her that one of Dawn's friends called her on her cell phone claiming to be sick, and against our warnings she took off."  
  
"But what about her car and phone, Raphael?"  
  
"Don't worry I took care of it." He replied putting an arm around her shoulder. He felt a bit sorry for what he had done but no matter what, it was done.  
  
"At least we got our mission done without any problems."  
  
"Yeah but look what it cost us, one of the best leaders of the Alliance that we have and a valuable Jedi." At this Brandy sighed and gave him a look that made him shut up on the spot. All of a sudden his face went pale.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"We've made a huge mistake. Vader is on that ship, the one they took her to."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Vader is her father, Brandy. He won't rest `til she is on his side."  
  
"I still don't understand."  
  
"When we were still going out she made comments about how she never knew what happened to him. She didn't know that Anakin had become Vader. She refused to believe that she was and is Kristen but I knew all a long, somehow I just knew. There is a longing she has to be with him once again and once Vader picks up on it, he'll use it to his advantage and turn her to the Dark side."  
  
"Um then maybe we should go rescue her."  
  
"It's done. She wouldn't accept our attempt anyway since we are the ones who got her into this mess. She is as stubborn as her father." At that Brandy couldn't help but snicker.  
  
"Hopefully she won't kill us."  
  
"I don't think she will."  
  
Vader stalked to the bridge of the Executer, brooding. The conversation with the Emperor hadn't gone well at all. He was commanded to return to Coruscant to receive his punishment for failure to capture Earth.  
  
"Report Admiral." He demanded to the approaching figure of Admiral Ozzel.  
  
"All ships report normal activity in the system and technical reports read normal as well."  
  
"Good. Keep an eye on this sector. There is something else?"  
  
"Yes my Lord."  
  
"Well what is it?"  
  
"We have captured a rebel spy. She was attempting to delete all our files down on the planet."  
  
"What do you know of her?"  
  
"Not much, my Lord." The admiral replied nervously.  
  
"Didn't you run a back ground check?"  
  
"We did but there was nothing in the file. Apparently the name she had provided us is invalid."  
  
"Invalid?"  
  
"Yes. She gave us an Earth name to go off of; all we got was school reports. Nothing that usually appears in the Earth files was there. It might suggest that she did not come from Earth."  
  
"Lord Vader! I just found out that some of the guards have carried out an interrogation on a newly arrived prisoner."  
  
At this Vader and the Admiral glanced at each other then to the officer.  
  
"Go on, Commander."  
  
"I told them to stop but they said that what you didn't know wouldn't hurt you. They were going to pass her off as being beaten by her friends. Apparently they turned her in to escape with their lives."  
  
"I want those guards executed immediately. Don't worry, you won't be punished."  
  
"Thank you my lord. There is the matter of what she was armed with though. I find it a bit strange."  
  
"Well out with it!" Demanded the Admiral.  
  
"She had one of those laser swords." He replied while pointing at Vader's.  
  
"Kill her! We don't need any Jedi to interfere." Shouted the Admiral.  
  
"No. I want her alive. Make sure she is not touched by anyone except for my self. Is that understood?"  
  
The two subordinates bowed and left Vader to his thoughts. He soon found himself starring out into space at his favorite window, deep into his thoughts he was unaware of the bridge crew watching him. He was having conflicting thoughts about what to do with the girl, his daughter.  
  
"Will she know who I am or has Kenobi kept that from her," the mention of Kenobi's name made him flinch, "I thought them to be dead a long time because of him and now suddenly she appears and as a threat to me and the Empire. Damn it Obi-Wan, why did you tell me they didn't survive the attack on Naboo."  
  
"You would have killed them if they had, Ani." Obi-Wan's force presence interrupted his former padawan's thoughts.  
  
"You don't know that for sure, Kenobi!" Vader spat at him. "It wasn't your place to do so."  
  
"Well what do you plan on doing with her? You could kill her, but then that's not her destiny and you know it."  
  
"The thought did cross my mind. But I couldn't be held responsible for her death, not this time anyway."  
  
"You hold yourself responsible for something you did not do. That is why you still chose the Dark path."  
  
"Obi-Wan, it's not like that and you know it. What happened, happened. I can't change who I am, nor can you change what is going to occur."  
  
"Have you seen her? She's changed from the little girl you knew, she's grown up now."  
  
"And she's probably just like her mother. Involved with politics but raised to be a dignified young lady, like her mother was. How much of me is in her I don't know."  
  
"I hope it isn't much, Ani." Obi-Wan laughed as he disappeared.  
  
"How dare he call me that name? He has no right anymore."  
  
Vader turned and marched off the bridge and headed to his quarters for some rest but decided to find the cell where his daughter was being held. As he strode through the corridors, officers acknowledged his presence by bowing or moving a side for his gigantic form to pass. Once he arrived at her cell he felt her strong radiant presence emitting from it. The door slid open to allow him access to it. What he saw would have made his heart sink if he was still the feeling kind of person, but years of being Vader taught him not to get that way again because it only led to heartache. He gazed down at the limp body of his daughter. Her face wasn't visible but from her long blonde hair, he thought that she must be as beautiful as her mother. She lied there motionless on her stomach but it was apparent to him that she was still alive. He rolled her over on to her back only to discover that she was badly wounded. Vader wiped the blood that was still flowing from her nose and mouth  
away and cradled her head in his arms. Lifting her up with ease, he carried her from the cell and to his quarters ignoring the confused looks from the crew as he passed with her.  
  
"Lord Vader!" Came a voice from behind making Vader stop in his tracks and turn around.  
  
"This better be important, Admiral." Vader threatened.  
  
The Admiral looked confused when he saw that Vader was carrying a rebel spy. "Isn't that a rebel?"  
  
"You stopped me just to ask me what I was doing?"  
  
"Uh no. The Emperor wants us to proceed with the mission to infiltrate the major governments of the world. Should I send the most qualified people down or what?"  
  
"Do what you think is right, but don't fail me again."  
  
"Yes my Lord." The admiral said as Vader walked away taking the girl with him. He carried the girl to his quarters and put her down on an extra bunk that was in storage. He had it for when Padme would come with him, but put it away when he thought she was killed. He tended to her external wounds knowing full well that the crew in the med center would probably harass her. Vader would need to go with her in order to have her internal wounds healed. But for now this had to do, he had other things that needed to be taken care of concerning himself and the mission.  
  
Later that same evening at Laura's house, the girls were once again hanging out.  
  
"I'm worried about Dawn, Tamra."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I haven't heard anything from her in three days, it's not like her not to call or email me."  
  
"Hmmm. I think that she is all right. Her friends will take care of her, right?"  
  
"I still don't like it. I have a strange feeling that something is not what it appears to be."  
  
"Even if there is something wrong, we wouldn't be able to do anything about it."  
  
"I know and that's what I don't like about this situation. I think we should have talked her out of this whole thing anyway."  
  
"She wouldn't have listened. When does she ever listen for that matter?" The two girls broke out into laughter after Tamra said that. It was true after all.  
  
Dawn woke up in Vader's quarters but didn't recognize the surroundings. She tried to move but pain overcame her and she laid back down. She turned her head and noticed a sphere shape in the middle of the room. At this point nothing was making sense to her.  
  
"Welcome back to the world of the living, young Skywalker." Vader said as he emerged from his meditation chamber.  
  
"Darth Vader. I should have known you were behind this." Dawn spat out the words. She said it with as much hatred as she could, so much so that Vader grimaced under his mask. It was hard to see her like that. She never was one for such hatred but he knew people changed. He couldn't help feel a little disappointed that she wasn't more like her mother, though.  
  
"Don't take that tone of voice with me!" Vader yelled as he slapped her across the face with the use of the Force.  
  
"Why not? It doesn't matter anymore. You're probably going to kill me anyway." She spoke while trying to get up.  
  
Vader moved closer to her bedside and pushed her back down. "You are injured, don't move. I'll take you to the med center as soon as I can." He touched her cheek with a gloved hand but she turned away with disgust. "There are things we need to discuss as soon as you are well again. Right now they would enrage you and do more harm, something I'm sure you don't need at this moment."  
  
"I won't tell you anything!"  
  
"You don't have anything to tell anyway, it is I who needs to do the speaking."  
  
"Uh... is this a typical thing that you do with all your prisoners?"  
  
Vader sighed, "No usually I kill them right away, but you are different and won't be killed, given that you see my point of view."  
  
It was Dawn's turn to sigh. "I have no choice, do I?"  
  
"No."  
  
The door slid shut behind him with a hiss. Dawn took this chance to look around the room, which proved a difficult task given her present situation. There was nothing but white and gray in the room and it made her feel like she was in an insane asylum. She thought about running but he would find her no matter what and she wouldn't get very far anyway. Soon sleep claimed her and lulled her into a dreamless state.  
  
On the bridge, Vader stood at a computer terminal accessing information on the rebel faction of Earth. Much to his dismay, he could not find anything on the group or his daughter. There was evidence, however, of some tampering and deleting of files. Agitated, he banged his fist against the terminal.  
  
"When we find the people responsible for this, kill them."  
  
"Yes Lord Vader." He returned to his quarters to find Dawn sitting up against the wall.  
  
"Can you walk?"  
  
"I think so." She stood up and flinched with pain.  
  
Vader noticing her discomfort offered her his support.  
  
"Thanks, but I think I can make it myself."  
  
"You're as stubborn as your father." He said as he put an arm around her to help steady her.  
  
"You knew my father? Oh wait I forgot, of course you would since you killed all the Jedi. You know we had to leave because of you."  
  
"You will pay for your tongue, Skywalker!" He let go of her and pushed her to the ground. She yelped in pain as she hit the ground hard. "Now you get up and walk yourself down to sick bay. I will join you there in a minute.  
  
Sprawled on the floor, she looked up at him and started to laugh. "I can't get up, it hurts too much."  
  
"You're laughing but yet you are hurt, you are a strange one."  
  
"Why thank you. Now can you help me up or what?"  
  
Vader smiled underneath his mask and bent over to pick her up. He carried her the rest of the way to sick bay.  
  
"Dr., she's injured." Vader said as the door to the med center opened.  
  
"My God, what happened to her?" Asked the Dr. as he gazed at Dawn's condition. "She looks like she went through the worst kind of torture possible."  
  
"You have no idea." Dawn replied. The doctor gave Dawn a shot of sedative and put her into the bacta tank. If she wasn't sedated, the yellowish liquid would have her in more pain than what she was in already. The liquid treated her external wounds as well as her internal ones. Treatment took three standard hours to complete, and Vader stayed to make sure that none of the staff would do anything stupid. He stood near the tank lost in thought.  
  
"How should I tell her the truth? Now isn't the best time to tell her after all she has been through. I think I'll make her my servant and teach her the ways of the Force through that, then when she is ready to except the truth I will tell her."  
  
"Lord Vader her treatment is finished you can leave now."  
  
"No Doctor, I am not leaving."  
  
"But... We are keeping her here to make sure she is fully stable."  
  
"I am taking her to my quarters. I don't trust any of you with her life."  
  
"Yes my Lord." The doctor said with disappointment.  
  
Vader called the bridge through the com-link and in a few minutes Captain Piett stormed into the med center.  
  
"Captain, take her to my quarters, I will be on the bridge if she wakes." Piett bowed at his master's command and carried the girl to his quarters.  
  
Stephen and Brandy were talking to Dawn's mom explaining why she had been gone so long.  
  
"How long will she be gone for?"  
  
"We don't know. I hope she's back before school starts though."  
  
"Well why hasn't she called?"  
  
"The place she's at doesn't have access to phones. She said it was some sort of spiritual quest she wanted to do. Besides she's only been gone for three days now."  
  
Dawn's mom shook her head. She had a feeling that something bad was going to happen to her daughter, but didn't show her concern on her face. "I don't like this at all. She's strong I know, but if she has done what I think she has, she'll be in trouble when she gets back."  
  
Brandy looked over at Stephen and attempted to say something, but was silenced by his comment.  
  
"Don't worry, she hasn't used the Force. I mean she doesn't even remember how to."  
  
"I hope you're right." Dawn's mom said to end the conversation. The companions walked away without a glance back leaving the queen to her thoughts.  
  
Vader was pacing the bridge when he got the call that his daughter was awake.  
  
"Very well, you may leave and continue your duties. I'm on my way. Admiral you have the bridge." With that Vader walked off the bridge with his cape flowing behind him. When he entered his quarters this time, once again he saw Dawn propped up against the wall. But this time he noticed something he hadn't before. Not only was she smiling she also had ice blue eyes, just like his, and sandy blonde hair. He knew she had dyed her hair to be that color and was amazed that she had done so.  
  
"Why did you dye your hair?"  
  
"I thought it looked good on me, and mom says that I look so much like my father I decided I might as well go for the whole thing. Know what I mean?"  
  
Vader only nodded then asked her about herself and how she had been raised.  
  
"Well mom treats me well and all, she never hits me or anything. I can practically do what I want as long as it isn't drugs or something like that. I make her mad sometimes `cause I argue with her, but that's my job as a teenager, and besides I'm right most of the time, and I think she's upset that I don't act and dress like a girl."  
  
"You don't act like a girl?" Vader asked with curiosity.  
  
Shaking her head no, Dawn replied, "I'd rather be out with the guys racing or playing sports, than inside playing house or some stupid game like that."  
  
Vader shrugged. "You sound a lot like I did at your age. I guess you would drive your mother crazy."  
  
The way he spoke rang a bell with Dawn making her perk up a bit more. "Who are you really? I sense that you are not telling the whole truth."  
  
Her question was only met with silence. After a few minutes Vader decided to answer, "We will not discuss it at this time. All your questions will be answered eventually. As for now you have two choices, either take a shower or work out."  
  
"But..." Dawn started to protest."  
  
"There will be no buts. Now go."  
  
"Well how do I find the work out area?"  
  
"Close your eyes and the Force will guide you." Vader replied. He thought that now would be an appropriate time to begin her training, "Once you find your way there you will notice some equipment, be careful with it."  
  
"Don't worry I can take care of myself." Dawn said as she walked out of the room. Sensing that she was out of Vader's line of vision, she started to run and looked for a way out. She noticed that the same decorating patterns went on for what seemed like forever. She stopped to concentrate on the Force; reaching out with it she realized that she was still in Vader's personal quarters. Giving up with trying to find an escape route, she went to the training room that she located in the scan. The training room had no furniture in it and wasn't decorated like the other rooms. Nothing but the cold gray steel was visible and there was a box against one of the walls. Dawn walked over to the box however an energy bolt buzzing toward her stopped her. Without a thought she ducked a moment before it hit her. She quickly looked around to see where it came from and spotted a battle droid. The droid came into attack position making Dawn take a defensive stance. She wasn't armed at all and  
she didn't know how she would defeat this thing. Again the droid attacked with fire, Dawn used the Force to block the bolt. For five minutes the situation stayed the same, then the droid took out a lightsaber and charged at her. Without a weapon of her own, Dawn relied on the Force for guidance and her karate moves she learned in elementary school to help. She managed to kick the lightsaber out of the droid's hand before falling to the ground to avoid being hit by another blaster bolt. Still on the floor, she called the lightsaber to her while activating it. A brilliant red blade hummed to life right before she caught it. Wasting no time she arced the blade in the air and with a powerful swoop she cut the droid neatly into two. She deactivated the weapon and clipped it to her belt. Sweating she drooped to the floor to cool off.  
  
"Impressive, most impressive." Came the mechanical voice of Vader from behind her.  
  
Dawn looked up and smiled at him before he spoke again.  
  
"Not many untrained Force adepts can get past the difficult setting in one piece. You are stronger than I thought."  
  
"You underestimate my abilities, Lord Vader. Don't do it again. Maybe next time it will be you who gets cut in half. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go take a shower."  
  
"Not before you give me that lightsaber, girl. And don't talk to me like that again, you'll be punished next time you do."  
  
Reluctantly Dawn handed over the lightsaber and shrugged. She was about to protest though but Vader raised his hand and pointed to the exit directing her to the `fresher. She followed his gesture; glad to have a chance to get out of her sweaty clothes. When the shower was finished, she noticed that her clothes had been replaced with more elegant clothes such as a skirt and a top to go with it. Both were in black. Dawn made a face at the clothes but put them on anyway. Storming out of the `fresher she headed in the direction the Force led her to Vader. He was shocked by her brooding presence and the angry stare she was giving him.  
  
"What's the problem?"  
  
"It's a skirt."  
  
"So. Girls are supposed to wear skirts."  
  
Trying not to lose her patience with this conversation, she replied, "I hate skirts. I don't care if girls are supposed to wear them or not and I want jeans or something."  
  
Vader sighed. "Fine. There is a closet over in the corner filled with slacks, but I warn you that they might be too big for you."  
  
"I don't care." She responded from half way across the room, "As long as they are not skirts."  
  
Vader chuckled beneath his mask. When she finished changing and came out, he noticed that the slacks weren't as big as he thought they would be.  
  
"Much better. I don't feel like a wuss anymore. When can I go home?"  
  
Vader was tempted to answer that she was indeed at home, but instead told her, "If you go home, you will be discovered and most likely killed."  
  
"Be killed? I doubt it."  
  
"You're a wanted rebel with a death mark on your head. Not to mention that you're Force abilities condemn you as well."  
  
Dawn soon realized that Vader thought her training to be incomplete, so she played along, "Force abilities, what are you talking about?"  
  
"You've forgotten more than I thought. Stay here and I'll teach you the ways of the Force and protect you."  
  
"No I want to go home."  
  
Vader grabbed her by the arm and squeezed. In a harsh voice he said, "You will stay here. You are safe here, out there your abilities will make you an outcast and those people will surely kill you if they find out that you are a Jedi."  
  
"Let go, you're hurting me! My mom will look for me if I stay here."  
  
"I won't let go until you agree to stay. I will inform your mother that you are all right if you do. I could teach you the ways of the Force." He then threw her to the ground. He was caught off guard as she swept his legs out from under him on her way down. They both lay on the floor for a minute starring at each other. Even though Dawn could not see his expression, she knew he was incredibly upset. The next thing she knew was that she was looking up at Vader with blurry vision, she tried to sit up but the room started to spin.  
  
Still playing naïve Dawn decided to try her hand again. "I don't trust you; you'll hurt me or even kill me if I stay. I know nothing of this Force you speak of, I wouldn't do you any good."  
  
"I see through your deceptions and will not let you go. It is your destiny to stay with me."  
  
Getting upset she paced the room. "Fine. If I stay here, I want to be able to do what I want when I want to do it. And most of all, I want to know how my father died by the man who killed him. That will be the reason I stay."  
  
"You drive a hard bargain young Skywalker. Very well I will give you what you ask for; in return I request your service as well. You must not leave these rooms until I deem it safe for you to, and if anyone comes here to visit me you must make yourself invisible. If someone finds out you will be killed."  
  
"Well what do you want me to do?"  
  
"Before I tell you anything you will assist me and help keep this place clean. Just pick up after yourself, you teenagers can be messy. You will be able to keep your freedom though."  
  
Still not liking where this was going Dawn interrupted with, "When will you tell me about my father? How will I assist you?"  
  
"You ask too many questions. You'll learn about your father when I feel like discussing him, and by assisting I mean that you will spar with me. Real life people are more of a challenge than droids are and you will prove a worthy partner once I have helped you master your lightsaber skills more. I must admit that after today I think you know more than you do, but that is impossible."  
  
"You're right it is impossible," Dawn lied, "Fine I guess I'll stay."  
  
Vader nodded and beckoned Dawn to follow him. "These will be your quarters. You have freedom to move about as you please, in my personal quarters that is and you are not to leave them. If someone comes in here you are to make yourself invisible. Understood?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good. Now I will let you get comfortable. Dinner is at seventeen hundred hours; you may join me if you are hungry and feel up to it. If not you may eat in here." With that Vader left for the bridge.  
  
Walking over to the huge bed in the middle of the room, Dawn sighed with relief. She had to admit that the room was elegant for an Imperial ship and was better than anything she had seen in years. She threw her towel on a chair in the corner, and sat down on the floor. Thinking about what she would need to feel more at home, she made a mental list that consisted of clothes, a computer, and her music collection. But at the moment she was glad to be alone. All those people worrying over her had started to make her go insane. Especially Vader, he was trying to be her friend, or at least it appeared that way, and it drove her crazy. He reminded her of her father in a certain way but she couldn't pin point the exact area.  
  
By the time dinner was ready Dawn was starving. She quickly found the way to the dinning room. When she walked in Vader was all ready seated at the table.  
  
"I wasn't expecting you to show up."  
  
"I do a lot of stuff that nobody expects me to do."  
  
"I've already eaten, but I'll stay with you until you finish."  
  
Dawn sat down at the table and was served her dinner. She poked at it a few times then looked at Vader.  
  
"What is this?" She asked.  
  
"Left overs. We don't get a fresh supply until we stop at the nearest Imperial port. I'm sure you had worse on Tatooine."  
  
Standing up, Dawn put her hands on the table and glared at Vader, "Who said I was from Tatooine? For your information I'm from Earth."  
  
Vader didn't reply. He knew no matter what he said she would take it the wrong way. Dawn finally calmed down and sat back at the table. She muttered an apology explaining that after what her former boyfriend did, she was having a hard time coping with everything. She let her mind wander to a friend who she hadn't seen in a long time, a tall gorgeous, brown eyed, brown haired boy who was her first love. The last time she had seen him was on the Enterprise. He was leaving with the man known as the Traveler. She spent the last day with him talking about his father. The boy was told that he was dead, but Dawn knew otherwise. She couldn't tell him the truth, and felt guilty about it.  
  
"Kristen, are you alright?" Vader asked breaking Dawn from her thoughts.  
  
"Huh. Oh. I'm fine. Just thinking about somebody."  
  
"You've had a long day. Go to your room and sleep. You'll need your rest before tomorrow."  
  
Dawn got up and headed for her room.  
  
Meanwhile, Laura and Tamra were getting anxious about going back to school.  
  
"Two more weeks before we can go back!"  
  
"I wonder if Dawn is going to be there."  
  
"If not, then we're going to have to find some way to get in contact with her friends and tell them our concerns." Laura said as she was reading her Gundam Wing magazine.  
  
Raphael and Brandy were yelling at each other. After a few minutes he yelled at her to shut up and listen.  
  
"We've made a big mistake. I'm going to mount a rescue."  
  
"You don't know if Vader has her yet."  
  
"But it's going to take a while to form a plan. Vader isn't stupid. He's going to expect someone to come after her eventually. It's going to be extremely difficult to get enough people to pull off a diversion without making it look like it is. Besides, I still love her. More than I do you, so I can't follow through with our original plan."  
  
Brandy had tears streaming down her face when she said, "Fine. It's over between the two of us. Good bye."  
  
"Good bye." Raphael said as he walked into his house. Brandy walked to the airport herself, even though the ice on the road made it difficult for her to keep her balance.  
  
Vader retired for the evening as well. It had been an extremely tiring day for him. He needed time to think about how he was going to tell her about his identity. He knew that with the betrayal and all that the initial shock would upset her. Perhaps he would ask Tarkin for some advice in this area. After all he had just told his son that he still lived.  
  
Unbeknown to Vader, Tarkin's shuttle arrived that evening. He walked off the shuttle followed closely by his son Wesley. Both were dressed in their immaculate uniforms and had their hands behind their back in the standard fashion.  
  
"Wow. This ship is bigger than the Enterprise." Wesley stated as he looked around the hangar bay.  
  
"Yes. Vader doesn't spare any expense when it comes to his own personal ship."  
  
"You never told me why we are here in the first place."  
  
"The emperor wants us to keep an eye on Vader. He suspects that Vader is hiding something and has been hiding it for sometime now."  
  
Wesley took this into consideration before responding, "What do you think he's hiding?"  
  
"With Vader, you'll never know."  
  
They arrived at their assigned quarters and settled down.  
  
"Hey Dad, Do you remember Dawn?"  
  
"The young lady who attended the academy with you? Yes I do."  
  
"We used to date each other, but I haven't seen her since I left Star Fleet."  
  
"Have you talked to Picard about it?"  
  
"He says that she left shortly after I did. But the strangest thing he said was that she left after an incident with an empire from another galaxy."  
  
Tarkin raised his eyebrow at this statement, "I've heard that one of our ships mistook the Enterprise as a rebel ship. It is odd that she would leave after that."  
  
"Apparently she didn't tell him where she was going. That isn't like her to do that, especially to him. He was like a father to her."  
  
"What do you mean by that son?"  
  
"That's right you didn't hear about that. Her father died when she was very young. Her mother remarried to a guy who was a complete jerk or something."  
  
"Well she's in the past; all you can do now is to think about the present. We're going to have a long day tomorrow, I'm turning in."  
  
Wesley followed his dad's lead and went to bed. He stayed awake thinking about the possible meaning of his missing girl friend.  
  
Alone in her room, Dawn couldn't stop thinking about the way Vader was treating her. He had every opportunity to ask her why she was at the base the other night but he didn't. She knew he was hiding something but didn't know what. She knew that he was trying to gain her trust and make her join him. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. She laid awake for a couple hours before sleep overcame her. Vader walked into her room and kept her asleep by putting her into deeper sleep by using the Force. He watched her for a while before returning to his own room. He decided that he would tell her the truth in the morning. It couldn't wait any longer. Besides he sensed that the emperor knew that he was up to something.  
  
Wesley was asleep in his room. He had no idea that his girlfriend was only a few rooms down from him. He twisted and turned from dreams that he was having about her. Occasionally he would mutter something in his sleep. His dad heard him and came in to check if he was all right.  
  
When Dawn woke up the next morning she found a folded piece of paper on her nightstand. She reached over to grab it and once she had it, she opened the letter and read what it had to say. She moaned when she read the part that said to meet Vader at nine hundred hours in the sparring room because he had something he wished to discuss with her. She grabbed her watch and looked to see what time it was. Dawn jumped out of bed when she realized that she had ten minutes to change and get down to where Vader was. She pulled on some clothes and ran down to the room; she was in the middle of pulling her hair into a ponytail when she spotted Vader pacing the room.  
  
"What am I that late?"  
  
"I have something to tell you, but I'm not quiet sure how to tell you it."  
  
"Why do I have the feeling it's something about me?" Dawn said while taking a seat on the floor.  
  
"Because it is."  
  
"Just tell me already."  
  
"There's no easy way to put this," Vader said as he turned and faced Dawn, "I am your father."  
  
"What? I can't believe it." Dawn said in disbelief.  
  
"It is true, Kristen. I thought you were dead too, then when I entered this galaxy I felt your presence radiating from this place."  
  
"I know it's true, I just don't understand why Obi-Wan lied to me. After all these years of hearing how evil you are, it's a shock." Whispered Dawn as she grabbed something for support. She looked up at Vader with a puzzled face. "So now what?"  
  
"Will you join me?"  
  
"As long as I can get revenge on Raphael."  
  
"He will be yours then."  
  
"Then yes I will join you."  
  
"We will continue your training today."  
  
"There is no need. I've been completely trained as a Jedi."  
  
"You need to give into your anger though."  
  
"That won't be a problem. Trust me you don't want to see me get mad. Anytime I start to my friends all run in the opposite direction."  
  
"Fine then. We can discuss what to do when your rebel friends come to rescue you." Vader said as he helped his daughter up. The two walked out of the sparring room discussing the possible methods they could use to get Raphael back for his betrayal. They finally came to an agreement to make it look like Kristen escaped from Vader's clutches. She would then go to Raphael and make him trust her, then lead him into a trap to capture him while making it look like that Vader is only after her. Vader would then proceed to beat her, but he would work with her on her stamina for pain tolerance so she would look worse than she felt. At the end of the plan when Raphael would think that Kristen is unconscious and would try to wake her, then Kristen would end it there.  
  
They continued to walk together.  
  
Raphael was sitting at his desk working on a plan to rescue Kristen. He had no idea that Kris had found her father and joined him. He sat back agitated that he couldn't think of anyway to get on bored Vader's ship. He knew that if he used the Force to help him that Vader would feel his presence and go straight for him.  
  
Two weeks later, Kristen and Vader set their plan in motion. Vader made sure that Kristen looked like she had just recently been through an interrogation. She still had some scars from when she first came aboard the star destroyer so it wasn't that much of a problem, and she purposely tore her clothes to make the effect more believable. The two sat down for what would be their last dinner together for a few months.  
  
"When does your school start again?"  
  
"On Monday. I'll be back and it would be like nothing happened. None of my professors need to know what's going on." Kristen replied with a smile.  
  
"Good. Keep a tab on the rebels here, while we check the rest of the system for more bases. Let me know what you find, but make sure that Solo doesn't suspect anything."  
  
"No prob. I should leave now if I want to get to Solo before he leaves for work." Kristen said while getting up from the table.  
  
"Good luck and May the Force be with you daughter."  
  
Raphael ran to the door as soon as he heard the knock. Standing before him in the open door was a woman dressed in torn and filthy clothes. Before he could tell her that he wasn't going to help a beggar, a flash of lightning shot across the sky illuminating the girl's face. A storm began to rage outside and a sudden down pour of rain soaked the girl to the bone. Neither of them moved for what seemed like ages to the girl.  
  
"Dawn is that you? Come in side." Raphael broke the silence and went to grab her arm to usher her in.  
  
She let go of the doorframe she was holding on to for support and took a step inside. Raphael went upstairs to grab Dawn a towel but when he came back down he saw her on the floor face down. He picked her up and moved her to the couch. Carefully he dried her off to keep her warm, while doing so he noticed that she was badly injured.  
  
"My God what did they do to you? I never meant for it to go this far." Raphael mumbled under his breath. He looked up when he heard footsteps on the stairs. "Jenny, do me a favor, can you leave a change of clothes out?"  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Dawn's here. She's badly injured and unconscious now and her clothes are ripped. I'm sure that when she wakes up she will want to change into something dry and clean."  
  
"What happened?" Jenny asked as she tried to get a closer look at Dawn. Her attempt failed when Raphael moved his body closer to Dawn's.  
  
"Trust me it is not for your eyes to see. It is something that you won't be able to handle. There's a lot of stuff going on right now and she was unfortunate to be in the crossfire of the whole thing."  
  
"I don't understand what you're talking about. This better have nothing to do with a gang or something."  
  
"No it doesn't but it is far to complicated to explain to a Terrain. End of discussion." With that Jenny marched up stairs and threw down a pair of clothes for Dawn to wear when she woke up. Raphael kept a vigil over Dawn the whole night. He cried on and off for what he had put her through, but he knew that nothing could change that mistake now and he could only wish that she would forgive him.  
  
That morning Dawn woke up as if nothing had happened the night before. She was alert and energetic. She tried to sit up but she felt a weight on her chest holding her in the position. She quickly realized where she was and came up with a plan to play her way into Raphael's trust. Raphael groaned making Dawn aware that he would wake any moment. She closed her eyes and put her head back down on the couch to pretend like she was still asleep.  
  
"Hey sleepy, wake up." Raphael said as he gently shook Dawn to wake her.  
  
Slowly Dawn opened her eyes and looked into his blue eyes. He went to stroke her cheek but she cringed and moved away acting like she thought he was going to hurt her. "Don't touch me." She whispered.  
  
"Dawn, it's me Raphael." He said not knowing whether or not that she recognized him. He waited for a response but all he got was a nod out of her. "What did they do to you?"  
  
She broke down into tears as she replied, "It was horrible. I had never been in so much pain before. They didn't even ask me any questions."  
  
Raphael cradled her head in his hands and spoke, "I'm sorry I never meant for you to get hurt. It's my entire fault. I'm relieved that you managed to escape in one piece. Do you remember how you did it?"  
  
Dawn shook her head. "It all happened so fast. I don't know how I managed to escape. I can't remember much of it though."  
  
"You're shivering. Here go change into these. I had Jenny get them for you last night."  
  
He watched Dawn head to the bathroom to change and then turned his attention to a magazine on the table. When Dawn was finished changing she walked back to where Raphael was sitting and sat down beside him. The two looked at each other a moment before Dawn broke it.  
  
"You know I have to go back to school on Monday right? I'm afraid that they will come and get me again."  
  
"I'll have someone assigned to watch you, but it can't be a twenty four hour thing because of the rules of your dorm."  
  
"Did I miss anything during my time in captivity?"  
  
"Not much went on. Brandy and I had a fight; I ended our relationship because of it. She wanted to leave you with the Imperials, but I wouldn't have it. Not with Vader being in the system."  
  
"I missed something. What's the big deal with Vader anyway?"  
  
"He murdered the Jedi, to put it frankly. Gosh knows what he would have done to you if he found that the daughter of Skywalker survived the purge."  
  
Dawn didn't answer to this comment; she just stared at him blankly for a moment.  
  
"I couldn't risk the life of a very dear friend. Besides your father was my best friend, he wouldn't have been too pleased if I had put you into harms way."  
  
"Maybe we should take Vader down. That way we could avenge my father's murder."  
  
"Hmmm... Maybe we could. I had something planned to come rescue you, but if we make some adjustments to it, we could easily take Vader down."  
  
The two of them spent hours working on the plan. All the time Dawn was getting angrier with Raphael for the way he was plotting to kill her father. She kept her anger hidden from the Jedi so she wouldn't blow her cover. Eventually Dawn called it off claiming that the plan was great and that she had to go eat with her mom. She knew that there was one slight problem though, the timing. Raphael had wanted it to be soon, but Dawn argued with him to wait a few months. When the boy became suspicious she said that she thought giving them some time to finish school would be best. Raphael of course didn't listen to her. The date they would strike would be in exactly a month. As soon as she was out of Force distance from Raphael, she opened a communication channel with her father.  
  
"I didn't expect to hear from you so soon, daughter."  
  
"We have a problem." Dawn replied cutting directly to the point. "Solo insists that we make a strike against you in exactly a month. He won't listen to anything I say and he is too strong minded for the Force to control him."  
  
"This is not good news, but it can be done. I will make sure that we are in the sector at that time, and I will make it perfectly clear that I am looking for you. That way you two will have to put your plan into action under my timetable. The rest will go as we planed."  
  
"I understand."  
  
"There should be no further communication between us directly. If you have anything to report, my agent Jix will be there to collect it. You will know him when you see him."  
  
The two ended the transmission and continued with their current tasks. Dawn went home so she could pack for school on Monday. When she walked in the door, her mom jumped off the couch and yelled at her for not calling. Dawn didn't say anything when she told her she was grounded. All she did was walk to her room and closed the door. She finished packing her stuff and went to bed.  
  
Dawn pulled her black Pontiac up to the curb outside of Rall Hall on Monday morning. There was still a slight chill in the air from the snowstorm the night before, as she made her way with her bags to the building. People greeted her as she passed; she gave an occasional nod in reply. Finally arriving at her room, she was surprised to see her new roommate, Cathy, already there. Telling herself to act normal, Dawn smiled and greeted her. The two set about the task of unpacking and getting to know each other. Eventually they finished the chore, Dawn went to visit Tamra.  
  
"Hey Tamra, what's up?" Dawn asked as she walked into Tamra's room.  
  
"Oh my God! I thought something happened to you. Why didn't you contact me at all?"  
  
Dawn smiled at her before replying. "I was called away on a mission. Once I left the system I had no way of contacting you."  
  
"But you could have told me before hand."  
  
"No, I was in too much of a rush to tell anybody. Not even my mother knew where I was."  
  
Just as the two girls were starting a decent conversation, they were interrupted.  
  
"Hey I noticed that you guys were watching Dragon Ball Z, can I watch it with you?" Asked a voice from behind. The girls looked at each other and shrugged. They motioned for the person to take a seat.  
  
"My name is Dawn and this is Tamra, what's yours?"  
  
"I'm Laura."  
  
"We're glad to meet you, Laura." Tamra said.  
  
The girls sat on the floor and watch the last five minutes of Dragon Ball Z. Dawn closed her eyes and began to meditate. She allowed herself to do so because she knew that Stephen wasn't around, but as she progressed deeper into the trance she felt a power she couldn't explain coming from Laura. Not wanting to take a chance, she opened her eyes thus ending her brief meditation. When she did so, she noticed that Laura was looking at her in a strange sort of way.  
  
"What?" Asked Dawn.  
  
"I wanted to know what you were doing. I felt something strange coming from you and if felt kind of evil."  
  
Dawn looked around nervously before replying, "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"You were in some sort of trance and I picked up on it. The only people I know who has that sort of power are my people, the saijians." Laura intoned while pointing to the TV. She noticed Dawn roll her eyes at the comment, but she didn't say anything more about it.  
  
"Well goodnight girls. I think I'm going to call it for tonight. It's been a long week and I could use some sleep."  
  
"Good night Dawn." The two girls said in unison and with that Dawn went to bed.  
  
"What's the deal with her? She seems so fake."  
  
"Oh she's just going through some rough times right now. It all started last term with a dream. I'm sure she'll explain herself when she feels she can trust you."  
  
When Dawn got to her room, the phone rang. Annoyed she answered it, "Hello."  
  
"Dawn it's Kym. I was wondering if you could come in and work next weekend."  
  
"I guess so. Someone taking the day off?"  
  
"Actually three people are and I'll be screwed with all the smucks."  
  
"I'll see you then."  
  
"Thank you so much. Bye." Kym said as she hung up the phone. Dawn then continued to get ready for bed. She fell asleep quickly and was soon dreaming about her revenge.  
  
That same night, Raphael was dreaming that he was being killed by one of his friends. He woke up startled and decided to call Dawn, but he got no answer. He grabbed a blue t-shirt, pulled it on and went for a walk instead. As he was walking he had to dodge some storm troopers. He couldn't help thinking that he had a Force vision and that Dawn and himself were in some serious trouble. Raphael put his hands in the pockets of his jeans as a cold breeze swept across the landscape. He eventually made his way home, but did not go to bed. Instead he logged on to the Internet, making sure that he wrote an e-mail to Dawn about his Force vision then proceeded to look into some Imperial files.  
  
Tarkin and Wesley were on their way to their quarters after a meeting with Vader. The boy, who was no more than 19 years of age, looked at his parent right in the eyes with curiosity. "What was that about? He's even more moody than before."  
  
"We will not discuss this here; it is not something the crew needs to overhear."  
  
"He told you something else, before I came in, didn't he?"  
  
"I won't lie to you, son. He did tell me something that could be painful for you to hear."  
  
Wesley paused for a second as if he was considering what to say next, but turned to keep walking. He knew that his father would tell him what was going on in due time. Tarkin followed his son's lead not saying any more. When they reached the quarters Wesley went straight to bed.  
  
The next week had past with a few minor conflicts between Dawn and Laura, the saijian. Laura had kept pestering Dawn about the other night, but she received no answer. Matt and the other Laura were told what was happening by Tamra, and they decided they should wait to say anything to Dawn until this thing blew over.  
  
On Saturday morning Dawn pulled into the McDonald's parking lot where she works. Waiting at the door for her was Kym.  
  
"Hey how are you?"  
  
"I'm ok, I guess. Did I miss anything while I was gone?"  
  
"No, not really. Are you sure you're ok?"  
  
"Yeah I'm fine. Just a bit tired that's all." Dawn said as she walked to the back to put her coat away. When she walked back to the front, she did her usual pre open routine. Once she finished she grabbed something to eat knowing it might be the only thing she would be able to eat for a few hours. The thought of not getting a break didn't bother her at all, she was used to it and she preferred to eat all day anyway. Eventually the rest of the Saturday crew staggered in, including an annoying red head named Erin. All the girl did was whine and complain all day about how no one liked her. Dawn couldn't take it anymore and went to talk to Kym.  
  
"Does she always whine like that?" Dawn asked as she walked into the office.  
  
"No. Sometimes it's worse."  
  
"You got to be kidding me. She's worse than Luke."  
  
"I never thought of it that way." Kym laughed. "Why don't you go back up front and baby sit them, and I'll be up in a minute."  
  
Back up front Erin still hadn't shut up. She then went to the back to get something from the crew room, a few seconds later Dawn followed her back there.  
  
"Why the hell do you have to be so whiney? Don't you know that it gets annoying after awhile?"  
  
"Dawn I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but in case you didn't notice you're not a manager and I don't have to answer to you."  
  
"So. I don't care if I'm a manager or not, all I care about is that you shut up so we all can work in peace."  
  
"Bitch! Just leave me a..." Erin couldn't finish her sentence. She grabbed for her throat in panic. She glanced at Dawn and noticed that she was smiling.  
  
"Now what do you have to say for yourself? Oh that's right. You can't breathe." Dawn said with mock pity in her voice. "You shouldn't mess with a sith's daughter," she continued while tightening the Force hold she had on the girl. Eventually Erin fell to the ground not to wake again. Dawn suppressed the laugh she felt coming and instead she screamed. Kym came running to the back and saw Erin passed out on the floor.  
  
"What happened?" She asked Dawn.  
  
Acting panicked Dawn responded with, "I don't know. She was complaining and the next minute she was on the ground."  
  
"Go sit in the lobby and calm down. I'll get her emergency care right away." Dawn did as she was told and Kym called the paramedics. When they arrived on the scene they told the crew that Erin had died, but the cause of death could not be found and that they would take her in to do an autopsy. The rest of the day past normally except for the fact that no one could believe what happened earlier. No one could explain it but the only one who could, pretended to be just as shocked as the rest of them. Before she knew it, Dawn was on her way home after a long day at work.  
  
When Dawn pulled into work on Sunday, Kym wasn't waiting for her like she was the day before. She knew right away she must have been talking to someone about Erin's untimely death. Dawn stood at the door waiting to be let in and finally Kym came to the door followed closely by Vader.  
  
"It's good to see you again Daughter." Vader sent through their bond. She sent a similar greeting to him. Then turned to talk to Kym.  
  
"Speed Racer how was your night?" Kym asked.  
  
"Relaxing. Why'd you call me speed racer?"  
  
"You pulled in faster than I've seen anybody do. You must be wondering why Lord Vader is here."  
  
"I'm here to investigate the death of one of your crew mates." Vader cut in before Dawn could reply.  
  
"I could tell you what happened." Dawn sent him through the Force. Vader turned to her causing her to blush unintentionally. Kym picked up on it and asked if they knew each other some how. Both replied with a no in unison.  
  
"Kym was telling me that you were with the girl when she passed. Is this correct?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Tell me what happened between you two."  
  
"Well she had gone into the crew room to pick up something, and I went back there to ask her what her problem was. After she told me, she just passed out. I screamed and the rest is history."  
  
"She is telling the truth." Vader half asked half said and Kym gave him a nod.  
  
"She's not a very good liar so you would be able to tell if she was or not." At that comment Dawn stuck her tongue out at Kym.  
  
The day progressed well, and Vader stayed up front to make sure that no one was acting any differently than he had been told. He was impressed when Kym tossed Dawn her keys and told her she had the floor while she went to count the drawers. At the end of Dawn's shift, Vader sent her that he would see her in a few weeks and that there were some new players. A boy and his father would be involved and they knew her identity as a rebel, but didn't know the rest of the story. He also told her that she knew the boy from the past. Dawn said goodbye to everyone and headed back to school.  
  
When she walked into her room, the first thing she did was check her email. She read the letter that Raphael sent her, and laughed at it knowing that he had no idea what was really going on. Dawn sighed and sat back in her chair thinking about how it would feel when Raphael realized that she had set him up big time. She spent the rest of the night thinking about whom the boy was that her father told her about. Finally giving up, Dawn decided to head to bed for the night.  
  
They shook her until she turned over to look at them.  
  
"What?" Dawn asked still in the grip of sleep.  
  
"Good morning! How was your weekend?" Tamra inquired.  
  
"It was good except for the part that one of my fellow crew members dropped dead in front of me."  
  
"Really. You did something to her." Laura stated while starring right into Dawn's eyes.  
  
"No. The investigators couldn't find what caused her death. They think she overheated or something. No one is going to know for sure." Dawn said as she got out of her bed.  
  
"Do you want us to leave while you get dressed?"  
  
"No I don't mind."  
  
"We were on our way to breakfast, would you care to come?"  
  
"I can't. I have to pack for a mission that I have coming up soon."  
  
"Mission? I knew there was something up with you."  
  
"Yes Laura. Perhaps I should tell you a bit about what's going on. You see, I'm a part of the Rebel Alliance. A bunch of us were sent here to protect Earth from the empire. If you've seen Star Wars then you know what I'm talking about."  
  
"Oh come off of it! That's not what's going on, I can sense it. You're a big liar."  
  
"I'm telling you the truth. You can believe what you wish, but I'm telling the truth."  
  
"Can I come with you?"  
  
"I don't want to put you into harms way Tamra." Dawn replied after pulling on a purple t-shirt. Now that she had finished dressing she turned to face the two girls. She went over to her desk to get her books for class. "Well guys, it's been fun, but I need to get ready to leave."  
  
"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."  
  
"I told you."  
  
"I don't buy it."  
  
"Laura, she's telling the truth."  
  
Laura's jaw almost hit the floor with that comment. She tried to apologize to Dawn, but she was too shocked to make any sense. Monitoring the conversation between Dawn and Tamra, Laura was even more amazed that Dawn's group of rebels were headed off planet for what seemed like a very dangerous mission. What concerned her most was that Tamra had told Dawn about some research she had been doing. Yelling interrupted her and she was drawn back to the present.  
  
"You should be concerned."  
  
"I could care less that Vader is looking for me. I have a job to do. I'm not going to let some bully scare me away from what I have to do."  
  
"He'll know where you are and once he finds you, he'll probably kill you."  
  
"How would he find her?"  
  
"Vader will be able to sense my presence."  
  
"Then he'd be able to sense everybody's'."  
  
"Well I sort of am like a homing beacon because I'm a Jedi."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Guys you're acting like I'm leaving for it today. I'm not leaving until the weekend and Stephen will be with me."  
  
"Fine. Have fun at class." With that Dawn went to her English class.  
  
Dawn spent the time between classes and afterwards to discuss final plans with Stephen and continued to pack last minute things. She also contacted her father to let him know the final plan and to be expecting them shortly. As the weekend grew nearer, Dawn became nervous and jumpy, something everybody asked her about.  
  
Late Friday night, Dawn met Stephen at an old and borrowed Corellian shuttle. They both were wearing all black clothes and had backpacks full of supplies. The only thing was that Dawn didn't have a coat on.  
  
"You're shivering. Let me give you my coat."  
  
"I'm fine. Get on the ship. I just want to get this over with."  
  
"Alright. Ladies first." Stephen said while showing the way onto the ship. Dawn went in and headed for the cockpit. She sat in the co-pilots seat and was joined shortly by Stephen. They then began the pre-flight check. As soon as the check was finished the ship took off. Dawn sat back in her seat and yawned leaving the piloting to Raphael so she could gaze at the stars. Raphael set the auto- pilot so he could have his hands free. Quietly he made his way over to where Dawn was seated. He leaned over Dawn's seat, supporting his weight with one arm. The other one he put under her chin gently turning her head towards him. When their eyes met he looked at her hungrily.  
  
"What?" Dawn asked annoyed.  
  
"Kris, I'm so sorry, and to prove it, I want to kiss you." Raphael said as he was leaning in closer to Dawn. As their lips were about to meet, Dawn stood up pushing Raphael to the floor.  
  
"What's wrong? I apologized."  
  
"It's not that. I heard something coming from the back!" Dawn snapped.  
  
"I'll go check it out."  
  
"No. Stay here and keep an eye out for trouble." With that Dawn turned and left the cockpit. She made her way down the sparsely lit corridor. Every now and then she would swipe at the cobwebs that brushed against her. As she kept walking the sound became louder. Eventually she ran into the cargo hold. The sound she had heard was a rustling sound. At first she thought it was rats, but she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye.  
  
Bending over, she reached for the blaster that she kept in her boot. Dawn pointed it into the darkness towards the direction of the sound. In a calm and emotionless tone she called into the darkness, "Come out at once or I'll shoot."  
  
A reply came in a form of a question met Dawn's comment, "Dawn is that you?"  
  
"Depends. Who wants to know?"  
  
With that four figures stood almost unnoticeable in the dark. Dawn kept the blaster pointed at them and commanded them to come closer slowly. The figures did as they were told but stopped dead in their tracks when they realized that it was indeed Dawn and that she had a blaster pointed at them. Dawn realized who they were and put it away.  
  
"What's wrong with you, Dawn?"  
  
"Yeah. You sound so cold and emotionless that for a minute I thought we snuck into an Imperial ship."  
  
Dawn sighed and replied with, "I was thinking the same thing about you guys, so I went into battle mode. Since you guys are here let's go to the cockpit. This place is so depressing."  
  
They all followed Dawn back through the corridor. Once they were in the entry way they heard a male's voice call out, "Kris, what was it?"  
  
"Intruders."  
  
"Well did you get rid of them?"  
  
"No."  
"Why?"  
  
"Because they are my friends."  
  
With that last comment, Raphael turned to face Kris and her friends. "Raphael, I want you to meet Tamra, Matt, Laura Linde, and Laura Novy. Guys this is Raphael."  
  
When each of their names wee called, they stepped forward, only to be thrown against the wall by an unexpected jolt. Dawn ran to the co- pilot's seat and screamed for the group to find a spot to strap in.  
  
"Tie fighters!" Raphael spat.  
  
"I see them! There's a star destroyer right behind us. We're surrounded."  
  
"Just hope that we can jam their signal so they won't know that it is us."  
  
"Let's try to get away before they lock us in with their tractor beam."  
  
"What are you guys talking about? It sounds like another language."  
  
"Matt put it this way, we're in trouble."  
  
"Kris I think the jamming signal is working."  
  
Meanwhile on the Executor; Vader, Tarkin, and Wesley were watching the mini battle.  
  
"Are we going to destroy that ship?" Wesley asked.  
  
"No. I want them alive. The rebel that escaped me is aboard that ship."  
  
Tarkin covered his son's mouth before he could ask another question.  
  
"Milord?"  
  
"What is it Admiral?"  
  
"We appear to have been incorrect. That isn't the rebel ship. The registration number appears to be from a Federation ship."  
  
"That's not a Federation ship." Tarkin and Wesley said at the same time.  
  
"Admiral, lock the tractor beam on them. Tarkin you and your son greet our new guest in the hangar bay. I will join you shortly."  
  
"Yes Lord Vader." Tarkin replied ushering Wesley off the bridge and towards the docking bay.  
  
"Shit!" Dawn yelled.  
  
"What?"  
  
"They got a lock on us. We're headed for that super star destroyer." Dawn replied while pointing to the Executer.  
  
"Vader." Raphael whispered under his breath. He didn't realize that anyone had heard him until he turned around and saw everyone with extremely pale skin. "I guess his reputation is well known in this galaxy too. Alright this is the plan. We will all fight until they kill us."  
  
"Some plan," Laura Novy said sarcastically while Raphael threw blasters to all of them.  
  
Silence overcame them as they felt the lurch of their ship being docked. The next sound they heard was the sound of at least a dozen or so storm trooper making there way to the cockpit. All Hell broke loose when the storm troopers opened fire on the group with stun bolts. Almost immediately Dawn's four friends were out cold. In a matter of seconds Dawn and Raphael took out half of the troopers before they were stunned.  
  
The next thing the group of rebels knew was that they were being led off their ship with binders on their wrist, and had blasters trained on the group. When they were off the ship, Tarkin and Wesley greeted them. Dawn spotted Wesley and their eyes met. They knew that they were the ones their fathers were talking about. The group was then led over to Tarkin and while they were moving, Dawn never took her eyes of Wesley. Raphael noticed her transfixed gaze.  
  
"Did you two have a thing?" He asked with a hint of jealousy just loud enough for the men to hear him.  
  
Dawn saw Wesley blush at the accusation; then she turned to face Raphael. "You know, you really need to keep your mouth shut! Especially after that little escapade you pulled with Brandy." She said in a heated tone.  
  
"Enough!" Snapped Tarkin while motioning for the guards to surround the group entirely.  
  
"Good work, Tarkin." Vader said as he walked up behind the man and his son.  
  
"Thank you, Lord Vader." The man replied and then changed his attention to the rebels, "Bow before Lord Vader!"  
  
The group didn't move. There was a tense silence before a lone voice answered.  
  
"I don't bow to anyone except for Prince Vegeta."  
  
Dawn pivoted to see who had said that even though she knew who it was.  
  
"I wouldn't be so stubborn if I were you."  
  
Turning back around, Dawn said, "We're not bowing to that monster."  
  
"Fine have it your way." Tarkin replied back with a sweep of his hand. As he did so, the six troopers closet to the rebels lowered their blasters and took the butt end of them and shoved them into each of their stomachs. They all doubled over in pain for a few seconds then stood up straight. Dawn locked eyes on Vader and gave him a nasty look. They knew right there that they had to make some sort of move. Vader struck first.  
  
Dawn went flying into the ship with a thud. Her head hit it sending her to the ground with blood gushing from the place where the ship met her head. The way she landed she was laying face down. She would have been in a lot more pain if she wasn't trained to handle it. Dawn wasn't aware that everyone was watching her to see what she was going to do. She laid there to gather her composure because she knew that she had to make it look like she was in real pain otherwise the plan wasn't going to work. She was jerked up violently by her hair until her face was even with Vader's.  
  
"Let her go Vader. She didn't do anything to you."  
  
"She escaped me. Now she must suffer the consequences, Solo." Vader hissed. He balled his free hand into a fist and brought it back. Before he had a chance to punch her, he was stopped by Wesley's screaming.  
  
"What ever she did I'm sure she didn't mean to do it! Let her go."  
  
"Tarkin shut your son up." Vader snapped while trying to hold on to his daughter who was now making it look like she was trying to get away. Laura tried to get through the group but was stopped by Raphael. He held his hand out in front of her saying that it would be wiser to save her strength for another time and that it would do her no good anyway. Their attention was shifted from each other to Vader by everyone in the room gasping. Dawn was on the floor, unconscious and bleeding in more places than before and Vader was holding her weapons. Tarkin and Wesley followed the now departing Vader out of the docking bay and into the corridor, but before doing so he gave the order for the uninjured rebels to be taken to a detention cell to await questioning. Storm troopers escorted them with their blasters trained on them. When they arrived at the detention cell, they were striped of their weapons and thrown inside. Once inside, they all were at Raphael's throat.  
  
"How come you didn't help her back there? He could have killed her!" Laura Novy said.  
  
"He didn't exactly have a choice. Vader could have killed us all if we would have done something." Tamra replied.  
  
"Tamra is right. We need to get her out of here in at least one piece. If Vader has it his way, he would have killed her when he saw how much she means to us. He wants her to suffer so he'll tell her we died because of her." Raphael lied knowing full well what Vader was truly planning to do. After that no one said anything else. They were all trying to come up with some sort of plan to escape.  
  
Meanwhile in the docking bay, Dawn was sitting up and trying to shake the stars from her vision. She had been aware of everything that went on because she truly wasn't out cold. She had made it seem that way to the others so that the plan could continue on schedule. The stars she was seeing were from the previous hit and from the fact that she had hit the floor harder than what she had wanted to. She got to her feet and headed for the corridor. A few seconds later she was stopped by a form standing in the doorway.  
  
"Where do you think you're going, rebel?" Wesley asked with a tremendous amount of venom in his voice.  
  
Dawn's first impulse was to ask what had gotten into him, but answered instead with, "To see my father, if that's alright."  
  
"Your father is dead. I think you're really trying to free your friends."  
  
That comment made Dawn laugh. "Me, free my friends? You've got to be kidding me. Besides I'm not armed."  
  
"What's going on in here?"  
  
"Nothing Dad. Dawn here was trying to escape."  
  
"Shame. Didn't they teach you any better at the academy?"  
  
"Well aren't you supposed to be dead? I do believe that the you were on the Death Star before it blew and you refused to leave because you thought that nothing could destroy it."  
  
"I was dragged off the thing by a colleague. But that is not of importance. What is, is that you are going to go join your friends in the detention cell." Tarkin said as he pulled out a blaster and pointed it at her.  
  
At this point, Dawn was loosing patience fast. "Look I need to see my father, now."  
  
"Lord Vader must have hit you hard enough to make you lose your memory. Oh well get going."  
  
"No." With that Dawn reached out with the Force and called the blaster to her hand. "Like I said, I'm going to go see my father and there is nothing you can do about it." She stormed off in the direction that she felt Vader's presence in leaving a rather stunned pair of men behind her.  
  
"I thought only Vader could do that." Tarkin said.  
  
"Should I call security?"  
  
"No but we should follow her to see where she is going."  
  
Before Dawn could walk onto the bridge, Vader was on his way out; he motioned for Dawn to walk beside him.  
  
"You didn't tell me you were bringing others."  
  
"That's because I wasn't going to. They snuck on board just before you intercepted us."  
  
"They will be terminated."  
  
"No. I won't have it. They are my friends and they don't know anything about the Alliance or anything of the sort."  
  
"You care deeply for them."  
  
"Yes and they shouldn't have to suffer because of Solo's mistakes."  
  
"Very well. I trust your judgment. We'll send them off as soon as we are finished with Solo. As for you, would you care to freshen up a bit and get some exercise before you join your friends?"  
  
With a smile Dawn asked, "Need you ask?" They walked towards their quarters, but were stopped by Tarkin and his son.  
  
"Lord Vader, do you want us to take her to a detention cell?"  
  
"No Tarkin, I do not."  
  
"If I may..."  
  
Before Tarkin could finish, Vader cut him off. "I don't believe that you three have been properly introduced."  
  
"We know who she is from Star Fleet and that she is a rebel."  
  
"You are incorrect about that last part. Tarkin and Wesley, meet Kristen Skywalker, my daughter."  
  
Both of their jaws dropped to the ground with that last bit of news. They just couldn't believe it. Each of them remembered Dawn as a kind and caring person, the sort who would have joined the Alliance. They never even imagined that she could be the daughter of someone like Vader. But then again they knew people changed and it was most apparent in her because of that act she put on in the docking bay.  
  
"I would have never guessed. But I can see how much you've changed since the last time I saw you on the Enterprise."  
"How did you find out in the first place?"  
  
"That Wesley is a long and complicated story. I'll tell you about it some other time. Now why don't you go spend some time with your dad? You both could use a break."  
  
Each family went their separate ways. Dawn sparred with Vader for an hour and then took a shower before having to make it look like she had been to Hell and back.  
  
Outside the cell door, Dawn and Vader were preparing for the next phase of the plan. Each said their apologies before beginning. Dawn turned on the water works and Vader started to shout at her about her not being cooperative. When the door opened to the cell, Dawn went limp making it look her strength was sucked from her by the interrogation drugs. Vader shoved her into it making her fall to the ground gasping for air. On cue she began to cough up some blood to make it look like she suffered from a broken rib or two and she grabbed her chest.  
  
"Perhaps next time you will be more cooperative."  
  
"You won't get anything from me Vader!"  
  
With that last statement Vader left.  
  
Raphael ran to make sure that she was ok. "Is there anything I can do for you, my little princess?"  
  
Dawn coughed once in reply. He knew right away that he had to heal some of her wounds with the Force. With Dawn back and in some better shape thanks to Raphael, they all planned an escape.  
  
Vader was also planning something. He decided to use Wesley as a pawn. After he got word that Wesley would do it, he briefed him.  
  
"So what am I going to do?"  
  
"First of all, I'm going to being interrogating Solo. I'm going to split Kristen and her friends up, putting her in a cell with a two way mirror so she can see everything that is being done to him. You will be put in the cell with her so it is imperative that you tell her what is going on."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Now I'm not going to tell the guards that you are in that cell, so when they put them in there, he will see you holding her as if you were protecting her from something. Eventually he's going to ask what's going on and you will tell him that you were impersonating Tarkin's son and that you were discovered. After that you are free to do whatever else to make him jealous. I'm sure Kristen has some ideas of her own."  
  
"How long will this go on for?"  
  
"For a few weeks perhaps. Long enough for you two to get almost intimate with each other. If you two actually do, we'll decide the next step when that happens. Once he is well enough, I will move you to another cell claiming that I have more on you, and leave those two alone for her to do whatever to gain his trust again."  
  
"Sounds really complicated."  
  
"That's the beginning. Eventually and if everything goes correctly, Solo will learn the truth and Kristen will kill him."  
  
"When do we start?"  
  
"Now."  
  
Vader's form filled the small doorway to the cell as three troopers grabbed Raphael very roughly while the remaining occupants were screaming. The troopers left with Raphael leaving Vader and the rest to stare each other down. He located Dawn and grabbed her roughly by the arm. Her friends tried to keep her their by grabbing her other arm, but Vader was too strong for them. Dawn let out a yelp of pain as her left arm, the one her friends were holding, broke. Vader heard it and glanced at her only to see that she was trying to suppress tears of pain. Once out side of the cell, Vader loosened his grip on her and took her other arm and set it. He was surprised when she didn't flinch at that movement. He wanted to tell her that he would get her to the medic as soon as he could, but knew that Solo would pick up any Force communication between them. But he knew that she had known that there would be a price to pay for this so he relaxed a bit. They walked down the corridor until  
they reached the other cell. Neither of them said anything as the door slid shut. Dawn soon realized that she could see and hear everything that was being said in the interrogation room. She smiled when she saw Raphael being strapped to the table. She was so preoccupied with what was going on in the other room, that a sudden pain in her arm caught her attention. She jerked her arm back to nurse it and turned around to see Wesley standing there.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Dawn asked while raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Before I tell you, your father told me to fix your arm with this thing." He replied while holding an instrument that neither of them had seen before. Wesley ran it over her arm carefully before continuing. "The whole plan in a nutshell is that when he comes back here, he has to see me holding you as if I'm protecting you. He cannot know that this was planned. The guards are going to throw him in here thinking that this is an empty cell.  
  
"I love it when a plan comes together."  
  
"Hey look. They're ending the session already."  
  
"Well that was quick."  
  
"I think they're giving him a taste of what is to come if he doesn't give in."  
  
"Come on. We have to get into position." Dawn said while grabbing Wesley's hand and dragging him into the corner. She turned on the fake waterworks to add to the effect.  
  
"God you're good."  
  
"I know."  
  
A few moments later the door to the cell opened. Wesley tightened his grip on Dawn while the guards threw Raphael in. As if he was unfazed by the interrogation session, Raphael stood up to look at his surroundings. He noticed that he could see the interrogation room and as he moved his head around he saw Wesley holding somebody.  
  
"Who you holding, daddy's boy?" Raphael asked.  
  
"Just for your information, Tarkin isn't my father. I was impersonating his son for a mission for the Alliance but they caught on." Wesley replied while letting go of Dawn to stand up and face Raphael.  
  
Noticing that Dawn was the one being held by Wesley, he slid down to the floor. "You need to keep your hands off my girl or I'll kill you! And as for you Dawn, you could have told me about him sooner."  
  
"Well you didn't exactly ask me if I had any other boyfriends beside you."  
  
"I don't have to ask. You should have just told me."  
  
"You can't tell me what to do. You're not my father!" Dawn retorted.  
  
"It's a good thing too. I wouldn't want to be like him."  
  
An awkward silence claimed the room. Wesley was waiting to see if Dawn would do something, but instead Dawn met Raphael's harsh gaze with a confused look.  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Uh nothing. It's not important.  
  
"If it's not important why did you say something about it?  
  
"I'm just frustrated right now and in a lot of pain."  
  
"You don't have to take it out on her. After all she's been through more than you have!"  
  
After that comment more yelling erupted from the room. It was loud enough for the guards outside to hear. They were relieved of duty a few moments later by a female officer dressed in black with a blaster at her side. She stood patiently waiting for the order from Vader to take the girl to him.  
  
"I hate you! You always get us into trouble! I wish you would just drop dead!"  
  
At the sound of the threat, the guard ran into the room with her blaster drawn. When she entered she noticed that there were two boys and a girl standing close to each other. She couldn't tell who the girl was because her back was to her, but she recognized the boy.  
  
"Stephen what's going on in here?"  
  
Dawn stood straight up when she heard the voice. She had heard it many times before at work and an occasional outing or two. "Uh nothing, Kym." Dawn said as she turned around to face her. The two looked at each other for what seemed like forever before Dawn broke the silence, "So when do I work again?"  
  
"If you survive this, then we'll talk. I'll ask again, what's going on?"  
  
"To make a long story short, this dork here, got us into this mess because he stole a rebel ship to get us off Earth, and you all think that we are rebels no matter how many times we say we are not." Dawn replied while pointing to Stephen.  
  
"I told you he was trouble."  
  
"I know, but I didn't want to believe it. So did Ron get his one hair cut yet?"  
  
Kym couldn't help but laugh at the joke. Soon Dawn was laughing just as hard while the boys were wondering what was going on. The fun was soon interrupted by a beep. Kym reached into her pocket and pulled out a communicator. "Yes Lord Vader, what is it?"  
  
"You may bring the girl to me now. Restrain her if necessary."  
  
"I'll come quietly."  
  
With that Kym escorted Dawn out of the cell. Since she knew Dawn wouldn't do anything stupid she put her blaster away. They entered the interrogation room and Vader motioned for the other guards to soundproof the other room and to block the mirror. The guards moved swiftly to obey their orders knowing full well if they messed up their lives would be over.  
  
"I heard you three arguing. Is the plan not going well?"  
  
"I think it is. Raphael is extremely jealous of me and Wesley."  
  
"Good. Make sure you keep it that way."  
  
"Who's Raphael?" Kym asked.  
  
"Stephen."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"Is there another way to get to Raphael? I don't exactly like the idea of having to get back together with him. Especially since Wesley is apart of it now."  
  
"Keep making him jealous. Give it about a week and when he least expects it, kiss him and finish him."  
  
"That's so much better."  
  
"How's the arm?"  
  
"Better but it's still a little sore."  
  
Not sure that she should say anything, Kym kept close tabs on Dawn to make sure that she didn't try to escape before her interrogation. Before she could ask what was going to happen Vader spoke again.  
  
"This time it's going to be painful since we have an audience. We have to make it look real. I am sorry about that."  
  
"I know, Father."  
  
"Kym go ahead and strap her to the table and make sure everything is ready. I'll explain everything later and perhaps you could be useful in Solo's downfall."  
  
"Yes Lord Vader."  
  
"Don't worry, Kym. We know what we're doing and I'll be fine." Dawn said to reassure Kym. She didn't want to concern her anymore than she had to for the moment. The guards gave the signal that they were ready to begin.  
  
"They've been gone for a very long time now."  
  
"Tamra if you don't sit down, I'll hurt you."  
  
"I can't help it! Something is very wrong."  
  
"I don't know about you three but I think that the people who run this place forgot about us"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. They have to feed us and then they'll probably ask us questions."  
  
"That's putting it lightly."  
  
The room grew lighter as the door opened. A storm trooper entered with a tray of food for the occupants. Matt rushed him, making him fall over from the unexpected attack and the rest of the group followed his lead. The alarms sounded all around the ship sending everyone to battle stations, everyone except for Vader and the guards that were with him. He was finishing what he had started with Dawn so he wasn't going to be bothered with a trivial matter.  
  
Wesley and Raphael were watching what Vader and his men were doing to Dawn. They couldn't believe how much physical punishment he was putting her through. The Storm troopers punched her and strangled her if she didn't give them an answer they wanted and they heard everything being said.  
  
"I hate you! You have no reason to being doing this."  
  
"You have information that is vital to the Empire's survival. There is no way we are going to let you go so easily."  
  
"Tell us what you know; Dawn and no more harm will come to you." Kym insisted.  
  
With her remaining strength, Dawn managed to lift her head so she could look at Kym, "I can't do that. If I have to give my life to protect others then so be it."  
  
"Take her back to her cell then tend to the escapees."  
  
"Yes Lord Vader." Replied Kym. She quickly moved to unstrap the girl allowing her to fall to the ground. She then proceeded to grab Dawn by the arm and then roughly pulled her to her feet. Once they arrived at the cell, Kym palmed the door open and threw Dawn in. "You are unwise to upset Lord Vader." She informed her before leaving. Luckily for Dawn, Wesley caught her before she hit the ground. He gently laid her on her back on the floor before checking what kind of damage was done to her. Raphael made no move to go over and help Wesley tend to Dawn. He just sat there looking at them with jealousy glowing in his eyes.  
  
"We've got to get out of here. You both can't take any more of this sort of treatment."  
  
"I agree. I say we make the move now."  
  
"Here help me support her." Wesley said as he put one arm around Dawn and motioned with the other for Raphael to do the same. They both managed, with the help of Dawn's expert hacking skills, to unlock the door. Soon after they made their exit, their friends joined them. They were all running and trying to look for the docking bay when they ran into a dead end. They turned around to the sight of Vader. He was blocking the only escape route and he wasn't about to move out of the way. Wesley and Raphael moved Dawn against a wall for support so they could help the others take down Vader. Before anybody knew what was happening, Dawn was in front of Vader, yelling at him. She had reached Raphael's hidden blaster, took it without him noticing, and was now pointing it at the Sith Lord.  
  
"Dawn what are you doing."  
  
"Saving our asses. That's what."  
  
"But you have no strength."  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"Foolish girl, you think you can stop me." Vader said. With the slightest movement he grabbed Dawn and brought her down to a kneeling position, making her face her friends. He was holding her head up by the fact that he was pulling her hair. Vader continued to speak in a dangerous tone, "If you don't want her hurt any more, I suggest that you allow the guards to escort you back to your cell."  
  
The group did as they were told so Dawn didn't have to suffer anymore than she already had. As they walked passed Vader, they noticed that Dawn had tears streaming down her face as if she knew what was going to happen next. They watched in horror as Vader slammed Dawn's head down on the deck. There was a loud crunch on impact from the bone that had been broken.  
  
"You lied. You said you wouldn't hurt her anymore than you had to!" Screamed Laura in outrage.  
  
"It's not my fault you are too trusting. Besides this is my insurance that you won't try that little escapade again. All of you will be separated."  
  
Through the Force, Raphael sent to Vader, "How could you do that to your own daughter?" As he realized what he had just said, he mentally kicked himself for opening his big mouth.  
  
Vader denying such a statement replied out loud with, "No daughter of mine would have joined a bunch of rag tag rebels like you. Besides I don't have any children."  
  
"Good he doesn't remember." Raphael thought.  
  
The guards escorted the group out of Vader's sight and threw them into their respective cells. A few minutes later Kym joined Vader. She noticed right away what had happened.  
  
"Looks painful. Will she be alright?"  
  
"Yes, but I don't think she will forgive me for that one. It was unexpected."  
  
Kym leaned over to get a better look. She noticed that Dawn was losing a lot of blood and fast and made a comment to Vader. He motioned for her to pick her up and take her to the med bay. The doctors where able to stop the bleeding rather quickly and Dawn regained consciences in an hour.  
  
"Ooh. Look at all the pretty colors."  
  
"A lot of purple?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"I'd rather see that than pink. God I know you well."  
  
"Uh yeah."  
  
"Relax for a moment, daughter. Kym maybe you should go before you make her laugh so much. I've heard from your crew members how you two get around each other."  
  
Dawn and Kym exchanged glances and shrugged. Kym replied, "Well you know what they say, Great minds think alike and we are defiantly on the same page most of the time, and besides she's the only intelligent person I can hold a half way decent conversation with, the others are a bunch of idiots."  
  
"You may leave now."  
  
"Dawn, get some rest and I'll update you on what's happening with Days when you feel better. Lord Vader, don't hurt her anymore or you'll have me to deal with."  
  
Dawn and Vader watched Kym leave the med bay. "Let me guess, the plan is changing again?"  
  
"Yes. I separated everyone."  
  
"This is taking far too long."  
  
"Patience. The time will come for you to have your revenge."  
  
"This coming from the master of patience himself, huh."  
  
Vader ignored the last comment and suggested a new plan. "Solo made a comment when you were out about how I could do this to my own daughter."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"I'll run with it and tell him that I found the truth and I have a plan for what I'm going to do with you."  
  
"Um..."  
  
"You'll get to go back to our quarters for this to work. Actually you could go now and get some sleep, you look exhausted."  
  
Dawn got off the med table and walked to their quarters while Vader went to have a chat with Solo.  
  
"What do you want, Anakin?" Raphael asked. "Are you here to tell me that you killed her?"  
  
"Your friend lives."  
  
"So then why are you here."  
  
"I was thinking of what you had said earlier about her being my daughter."  
  
"So?"  
  
"The medical team I had healing her did an analysis of her blood which confirmed her identity as my daughter."  
  
"Don't do anything foolish with her."  
  
"I plan on turning her to the Dark Side."  
  
Raphael jumped to his feet and charged at Vader, "She will never join you!"  
  
"She's almost broken. It's a matter of time before she is completely broken then I will teach her to see the true power of the Force."  
  
"She'll hold out as long as you can. Then you will be forced to kill her."  
  
"If that is her destiny. Give her to the end of the week and you will see." Vader left Raphael a lone once again but this time he knew that his thoughts would torment him. Inside the cell Raphael was punching the walls in frustration. He knew that Vader was right about Dawn. No one who suffered that much torture would be able to resist the kind of power the Dark Side offers and then there was also the fact that he would tell Dawn that he was her father. Raphael knew Dawn well enough to know that she would jump at the chance to be with him one more time.  
  
Wesley caught up with Vader as he was leaving Raphael's cell. He had to take two large steps to keep up with Vader's one. The two of them walked in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.  
  
"She's fine." Vader said at last.  
  
"Oh good. I was concerned about her."  
  
Vader stopped suddenly and Wesley had to skid to a halt to avoid hitting him. "You love her?"  
  
"I wouldn't exactly say that. I mean we used to date but there wasn't anything more between us. We were just friends, nothing more."  
  
"How long ago was this?"  
  
"It was while we were at the academy together so it had to be about nine or so years ago."  
  
"It's been a while. Your feelings for her have changed."  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"I've seen the way you look at her and the way she looks at you. It's not puppy love anymore. You two were destined for each other."  
  
"You really think so?"  
  
"The love you two have is rare. Don't miss out on it, you'll regret it the rest of your life if you do. I know I do."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'll be honest with you. I wasn't always this way. I had the most beautiful wife and I loved her so much. We had a daughter..."  
  
"Kristen?"  
  
"Yes. I was a different person back then. I didn't have this armor and I wasn't this evil. We had the perfect marriage and were the envy of the entire galaxy."  
  
"What caused you to change?"  
  
"I was angry, not at them but at the Jedi. My mother was killed because they refused to intervene with the slavery issue on Tatooine. Palpatine offered me a release for my anger but I was too blind to see that it was a trap. He used me to kill off the Jedi; I became abusive to my wife and to Kristen as well. They eventually left me and by time I realized they were right, it was too late."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"I know Kristen is a live but I don't know about her mother. That is why you can't make the same mistake I did. I want you two to be happy at all cost."  
  
"Um, yeah thanks."  
  
Vader started to walk again with Wesley staying behind to think of what had just been said. Once he realized that Vader had started to walk again he ran to catch up.  
  
"Go and see her, she's in my quarters resting. I will call you when I need you."  
  
Wesley took off as fast as he could to Vader's quarters. It took him fifteen minutes to reach his destination. Much to his surprise the doors slid open without any problems. Once inside he had to navigate through the many rooms and corridors before he reached the bedrooms. Quietly he searched room after room to make sure that he didn't wake her if she was sleeping. The last one on the left was were he found her. He watched her sleep for a moment not believing how innocent she looked. Quietly Wesley crept over to the bed and sat down as softly as he could. Gently he brushed a strand of hair from her face and watched her for a few minutes more while he was thinking about the conversation he had with her father.  
  
"Wake up sleepy." Wesley said while shaking Dawn.  
  
"Huh," she said while opening her eyes, "Hey what are you doing here."  
  
"I just had a little talk with your father."  
  
Dawn sat up at the tone of his voice, "Oh no, what did he say?"  
  
"Well he told me to come and see you. He said he wanted us to be happy at any cost."  
  
"You lost me. What are you talking about?"  
  
"He said that we are meant to be together and not to make the same mistakes he did with your mother."  
  
"My mother. I can't believe I forgot to tell her I wouldn't be coming home for a long time."  
  
"That's not important now. What is, is us."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Shhh." Wesley said as he placed a finger on her lips. He removed it and moved in to kiss her. She returned the kiss.  
  
"I see I'm interrupting something."  
  
"Lord Vader, we weren't expecting you." Wesley said.  
  
"Really?" Vader asked while looking at Dawn who was now bright red.  
  
"I... um still need to get some sleep, so if you please." Said Dawn as she was trying to avoid her father's gaze.  
  
"Very well. I'm going to pay a visit to your other friends to let them know you're all right. We don't need another escapade like the one before."  
Dawn only nodded at the statement, too exhausted to really care. Wesley gave her a kiss on the cheek before he left with her father. Once in the corridor Vader took the left passage to go see the group while Wesley went in the opposite direction to go and talk to his father. He arrived at his destination first. Once he sat foot in their quarters he noticed his dad sitting on the couch with his mouth set in small line. Right away he knew he was in trouble.  
  
"Where have you been? I've been waiting for you for two days now."  
  
"I'm sorry dad, but..."  
  
"No buts! I want an explanation now."  
  
"I was helping Kristen and Lord Vader. It took longer than I expected."  
  
"You should have let me know what you were doing."  
  
"I know. Vader told me not to tell anyone. It was a direct order." Wesley said between clenched teeth.  
  
Tarkin sighed as he realized that his son was only obeying orders. "Very well. I shall believe you this time, but if it is to happen again tell Vader I want to hear it from him."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Did he say anything else?"  
  
"Yes. He said that she and I are meant to be together for the rest of our lives."  
  
"I can see where he gets that from. The way you two looked at each other in the docking bay, anybody could see it. You two are perfect for each other."  
  
"Yeah I guess so."  
  
"So when's the wedding?"  
  
"Dad! You're embarrassing me!"  
  
"That's the whole point." With that Tarkin smiled. He had to duck when a pillow came flying at his head. He returned the pillow and soon the two were laughing and in the middle of a pillow fight.  
  
"What are you doing here, Vader?" Tamra asked, a bit concerned.  
  
"You needn't fear me."  
  
"Why not? You hurt my friend."  
  
"She isn't hurt at all. We made it look like she was."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I trained her to with stand the pain. Her body can handle it."  
  
"So you're saying that it was an act?"  
"Yes."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"That boy you were with, he's the enemy."  
  
"He's on our side though."  
"He hurt her more than I ever could. He broke her heart."  
"Why should you care about a rebel's problem? I mean don't you just kill them after you get the information you want."  
  
"Usually yes. But she is different."  
"How?"  
  
"She's my daughter," Vader paused a moment to let the info sink in, then continued when he noticed that she was still confused, "When she was missing for your winter break, she was on a mission to help the Alliance, that much is true. What you don't know however, is that Solo and his new girlfriend had turned her over to us to get her out of their way. Then one day, I had received word that some of my crew had conducted an improper interrogation on one of the prisoners and that she was badly hurt. I went to check it out, I knew right away she was my daughter. Our old bond reformed on the spot and eventually I told her the truth. She accepted after telling me she wanted revenge."  
  
"What's going to happen to my friends and I?"  
  
"Kristen made it clear that you are not to be harmed. That is why you are in the detention center, so if things get out of hand you will be all right."  
  
"Well that's good to know."  
  
"You will be able to go home when this is all over." Vader said as he walked out of the room. The rest of the conversations went the same except for the one with Laura Novy. Laura told Vader that she had a feeling that Dawn was evil, but no one else would believe it. Vader, in return, had replied that he would like to keep her around for awhile to study her. Laura agreed only because she thought that Vader was really going to be hurting Dawn when all of this was over; she would be able to protect her if needed.  
  
A few days later, a very sore and angry Raphael was meditating in his cell. He was frantically searching for Dawn's Force presence, but there was no trace of anywhere. Not believing that there was no way to see if she was still alive, as Vader had put it, he slammed his fist into the wall nearest his position. The bone in his hand shattered and he let out a howl of pain just as the door slid open.  
  
"Solo, you are to come with us." A white clad storm trooper said as he entered the cell.  
  
"Why? Does Vader want to question me some more, or perhaps torture me?"  
  
Putting a blaster to his chest, the storm trooper commanded him to move. Reluctantly he fell in step behind the lead trooper while the others bound his hands in front of him. They lead Raphael down the long corridors of the Executor for what seemed like hours to him. It had seemed as if the group had traveled in circles, but he couldn't be sure because everything looked the same anyway.  
  
"In here." The lead trooper said as he came to a halt and palmed open a door.  
  
"I have a really bad feeling about this." Raphael murmured under his breath. He took one step in before stopping to get a look around. There was almost the same kind of equipment of the other room, but with one gigantic exception, there was the force cage. It was used to keep Jedi in so they wouldn't be able to use the Force. His thoughts were interrupted when the trooper pushed him further into the room. He had to fight to keep his balance. Once he straightened up, he noticed that he wasn't the only one in the room. In the center of the room stood Kym, fully dressed in black with a grim expression on her face.  
  
"Leave us." She commanded the troopers then turned her attention to Raphael.  
  
"What do you want?" He asked his former boss.  
  
"I want the information that you hold."  
  
"Look I told you guys all I knew. You might want to ask Dawn and that boy about it. She knows way more than I do."  
  
"Hardly. She's been through some pretty nasty interrogations and nothing new has come of it and Lord Vader believes she knows no more."  
  
"Tell me how is she holding up?"  
  
"Not very well. She will be broken in a day or two."  
  
"No! She's a Jedi, she should be able to withstand it."  
  
"If I'm not mistaken, even Jedi are subject to their bodies weakness. And for your information, I've had a hand with her downfall."  
  
"You what? How could you? After all she is your friend." He said as he lunged for Kym. She easily stepped aside and was able to kick him in the stomach as he passed by. There was a loud thump as his mass hit the floor. Gasping for breath, Stephen tried to stand up, but found it impossible since his hands were still bound together. Kym, seeing his trouble, took advantage of it and made her way over to him. She began to kick him some more, making him curl up in a fetal position on the floor. As much as he tried, he couldn't escape the physical assault and moaned in pain each time her foot made contact with him. He was pulled to his feet by her strong grip on his forearm and was forced onto the table in the back of the room. The restraints engulfed his body as he looked up into Kym's face. An evil smile replaced the somber expression she had worn earlier, making it quiet clear to Raphael that she had something nasty planned for him.  
  
"You can't do this to me."  
  
"Oh but I can, Jedi. This is your punishment for being such a bad employee."  
  
"You will let me go." Raphael stated, hoping the mind trick would work.  
  
Kym saw through the deception right away stating, "Mind tricks don't work on me. Dawn showed me away to block it at work one day."  
  
"Liar!" He shouted before Kym's fist met his nose promptly breaking it. His rich red blood began it's journey down his face and onto the table. He gritted his teeth to keep from yelling out in pain and he set his jaw in a defiant position.  
  
"Aw, is the poor baby in pain?" Kym taunted. She motioned for a nearby droid to approach the table. The round, little, black droid did as it was commanded and as it did so Raphael was able to see a needle protruding from it. Just before the droid could inject the needle into him, the door opened with a loud hiss and the sound of Vader's respirator followed it.  
  
"I believe it is my turn with Solo."  
  
Quickly moving aside to allow her master access to the prisoner, Kym replied in her usual way when addressing the Dark Lord. A thick tension hung in the air. It was almost unbearable for Kym and Raphael to withstand. No one knew what was going to happen next, except for Vader and Kristen. The latter had entered the room undetected by the Jedi and the servant.  
  
"Girl, come here." Vader commanded out of the blue. He had caused everyone to jump by the sudden change in topic. Kristen quickly moved to follow her father's orders. As she approached his side, Raphael let out a gasp at what he saw. There was Dawn dressed in black, that in itself didn't surprise him, but what did was the fact that she looked sorrowful and her eyes were downcast and that her hands were bound.  
  
"Yes master?" Kristen asked softly.  
  
"Dawn, please don't give in. Not now, we've come so far together." Raphael pleaded with her. She lifted her head so that her eyes were even with his. As he looked into her blue eyes he only saw the look of utter defeat. She quickly lowered her head again once Vader turned to her.  
  
"You will do as I tell you, girl. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes master."  
  
Kym smiled at Raphael before she spoke, "See I told you it's only a matter of time now."  
  
Something clicked in the back of his mind. He had a feeling that something wasn't quiet right. "You haven't told her yet, have you?"  
  
"Not yet."  
  
With a sigh of relief, Raphael again addressed Kristen, "Dawn whatever he tells you is a lie. Don't listen to him."  
  
"There is to be no more from you," Kym yelled, "You don't have any people skills, you think you're a wolf, so you shouldn't be telling her what to listen to!"  
  
Dawn was trying to suppress the smile she felt coming. She had to admit Kym was good, too good in fact and she knew that no matter what was being said, she couldn't laugh because it would blow the whole charade. She continued to keep her gaze downwards as Kym was once again beating Raphael and yelling profanities at him.  
  
"That's enough Kym. Now Raphael, will you tell us what we want to know, or must I use more drastic measures?"  
  
"I'm not telling you anything."  
  
"Very well. Since you refuse, your friend here will pay."  
  
Kym walked towards Dawn with a vibro blade in her hand. She grabbed her by the arm and sliced her with it. Dawn looked up at Raphael. He could see a mixture of emotions playing across her face like she didn't know what to do anymore.  
  
"Do you want her to get hurt anymore?"  
  
"No. It would only drive her closer to the Dark side."  
  
""Let's see how close she is already." Vader said as he removed the cuffs from Dawn's wrist. "Now girl, attack whomever you're upset with."  
  
She paused for a moment as if to consider who she was upset at and then lunged toward Raphael. Kym stopped her before she could make contact on him. Raphael let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding.  
  
"How does it feel to have someone turn against you?" Kym asked.  
  
"I think it hurts worse the second time." Said Raphael who had just turned his gaze towards Vader, shooting him a rather nasty glare.  
  
"Take her back to my quarters and sedate her. I'll attend to Solo."  
  
"Yes Lord Vader." Kym replied and escorted Dawn from the room. Once the girls were out of earshot from the room, they both began to crack up in laughter.  
  
"Dude, did you see the look on his face as you ran at him?"  
  
"Yes. Luckily I had kept my expression somber. I almost started laughing when you were cussing him out too."  
  
"Hey beautiful. Wait up!"  
  
Dawn looked over Kym's shoulder to see Wesley running towards them. She smiled at him and the next thing she knew she was being lifted in the air and twirled. Once he put her down, he turned to Kym.  
  
"Oh Wesley, this is my friend Kym, Kym this is my boy friend Wesley." The two of them shook hands and smiled at each other.  
  
"Can I talk to you for a moment in your quarters?" Wesley questioned. "Alone."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Hey. I'm supposed to escort you down there remember? I don't think your father would be to thrilled if his orders aren't obeyed to the tee."  
  
"Oh I'm positive he wouldn't mind. Not under these circumstances anyway" Responded Dawn with a sly smile on her face.  
  
"Ah, I get it. Just don't do anything I would do."  
  
"And what might that be?"  
  
Kym laughed as she walked away, leaving boy friend and girlfriend to walk back to her quarters alone.  
  
"So how did it go?"  
  
"He fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker."  
  
"God he's so stupid."  
  
"That's one way of putting it. So what did you want to talk to me about?"  
  
The couple made there way in silence to Dawn's quarters. All the while she was wondering what her boy had on his mind, hoping it would be something good. Once they entered, Wesley spoke. "My father has informed me that there will be a competition tomorrow night and that we have to attend."  
  
"What's the big deal with that?"  
  
"Some of the prisoners will also be attending, by command of the emperor."  
  
"That's odd."  
  
"Well something big is going to go on, actually a few things will."  
  
"Why do I have a feeling that only one prisoner I know is going to be there?"  
  
"I didn't say that. How do you know?"  
  
"Just a feeling and I know who it will be too."  
  
"You have to get ready. You're not going like this." Wesley said as he moved closer to his girlfriend.  
  
As she entered the ball room, Dawn took a quick glance around. Against one wall stood Raphael. From the looks of it, he was listening to an officer give him some instructions of conduct for the evening. She was then escorted to the wall and was told to stand next to Raphael. Neither one said a word as the officer told Dawn the rules for the night, but she couldn't help argue with the part about serving the guest if she was ordered to do so. Raphael gave her a quick jab to the ribs to prompt her to be quiet. Once the officer left, he spoke up.  
  
"It's going to be extremely boring just standing here and watching the ground, don't you think?"  
  
"Well we wouldn't be in this predicament if it wasn't for you."  
  
"It's not my fault."  
  
"Listen, idiot, it is your fault. It has been since the very beginning."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Just shut up and leave me alone."  
"Harsh much, Kristen?"  
  
She faced him with a speed that surprised him. Her eyes spoke chapters to him. Hatred, suffering, pain, and love were among the emotions dancing in them, but he wasn't sure if it was love for him or for someone else so he decided to test it. He grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss. She struggled against him for a moment but allowed herself to relax into it.  
  
Across the room, Wesley was observing the scene as he was dancing with a redheaded woman about the same age as him. He excused himself and went to find Vader.  
  
"Lord Vader, this is getting out of hand. I think she's falling back in love with him."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"I just saw them kissing over there. It was gross."  
  
"Perhaps he's testing her. He made the first move, I have been watching."  
  
"I hope you're right," Wesley grumbled, "I'll get everything ready for the competition."  
  
Over the intercom in the room, came an announcement that the competition would begin in fifteen minutes and the guest should leave the room for the preparations to be made. The guest knew that it was also time to change for some of them would be participating as well, but not in the way the prisoners would be.  
  
After the preparations had been made, the guests refilled the room in more suitable attire. Vader took his position on the podium in the center of the large and newly padded room. He couldn't help to smile under his mask as he knew that tonight would be the night that would finally end it all for him and his daughter. The room became quiet as Vader began to speak, "Tonight's competition is for everyone. Now there are certain rules that must be followed: first of all, crew members can fight each other only to the mat, no further, second any crew member can fight any prisoner, and for the prisoners your names will be drawn at random. These fights are to the death." He paused a moment to let the audience quiet down after shouting their approval, "Now on with the competition." As soon as Vader had finished the announcement, the small band of so called rebels were led into the room. A guard quickly explained what was to happen and almost immediately Laura Novy began to struggle  
while the others stood looking in disbelief. Luckily for her, Dawn had heard the commotion and through the Force told her it would be alright. At first she was hesitant to believe Dawn after getting them into this mess in the first place, but she had a feeling there was something else behind all of this. She eventually let the guard escort her to her spot next to Stephen. For the first time since he knew her, which wasn't very long, he looked into her brown eyes and found the same whir of emotions that he had seen in Dawn but with much more intensity. He could tell though that the love that was there was for some one else.  
  
TBC... 


	2. The Fight

He watched intently as the fight progressed, noting the different techniques that were being used. After five rounds, his name was called. Without hesitation he strode confidently to the center of the floor, never once taking his eyes off of Vader. Shortly after, he was joined by Dawn.  
  
For the longest time they stared at each other in awkward silence as the room began to encourage them to fight. Raphael looked into her blue eyes hoping to see that she didn't want to fight him so they could call a draw but she had no hint of emotion what so ever in her eyes or on her face.  
  
"Either you two fight or you will be destroyed!" Vader bellowed.  
  
"You can't make us do something we don't want!" Raphael screamed back while completely ignoring Dawn.  
  
She noticed that Raphael was distracted and took the opportunity to jump him. Her momentum caused both of them to fall to the matted floor. She scrambled off of him as soon as she could so he wouldn't have a chance to get her. However, she needn't have bothered. He was on his back trying to recover the breath that had been knocked out of him on impact. The crowd was going crazy with excitement, cheering Dawn on since she had the upper hand. She looked down at Raphael and began to kick him in the gut.  
  
"Get up, Solo. You shouldn't be so easy to beat." She scowled with anger.  
  
His reply was grabbing her foot with his hand and flinging her backward causing her to hit the floor once again. The crowd booed a response and encouraged her to get back up and finish what she started.  
  
"That's what you get for attacking in anger, Skywalker!" Raphael screamed at her. You're no better than Vader."  
  
"What do you know? You are nothing but an arrogant Jedi!" She said as she crawled to her feet. She began to circle him and looking for any weaknesses in his defenses. She knew that she was a much better fighter than he was but she wanted him to think he could actually win this and get her back.  
  
"Can't you see that he's trying to get you to turn to the Dark Side?"  
  
"You know what… I don't care."  
  
They circled each other while they continued to banter. She kept teasing him, trying to get him to strike first, but he wasn't having it. Finally Dawn lunged at him again, calling her father's lightsaber to her hand and activated it.  
  
TBC… 


	3. Victory

When the red blade hummed to life, Raphael stopped dead in his tracks. His face paled and he took an involuntary step backward. Instead of using her cover name like he usually did he addressed her by using her given name. "Kristen Skywalker you know better than this. If you strike me down you'll be no better than Vader!"  
  
She shrugged in response as the crowd pressed in to hear what was being said. She waved the lightsaber tauntingly in front of him. "Tell me why you shouldn't be killed, Jedi, and maybe I won't do it," she said with an icy chill in her voice. Raphael shuddered at the hatred he detected within her but didn't speak fro a moment as if he was considering what to say.  
  
"I told you I didn't mean for this to happen. It was all Brandy's fault. She had me under a spell or something."  
  
Deciding she could use his weakness to her advantage she deactivated the lightsaber and started to sob. "I'm so sorry Raph. I'm just so confused. Let's get out of here."  
  
Raphael came within arms length of her and said loud enough for Vader to hear, "Your father would be proud."  
  
"You know that's the ironic thing, he is proud of me for being able to see through your deceptions."  
  
He stood confused but was knocked out of his reverie by the snap hiss of the lightsaber being activated. He tried to block it but Kristen was too fast for him to do so. His eyes met hers showing the betrayal all too clearly before the blade made contact with his neck. The momentum that Kristen had was enough to cut his head cleanly off while cauterizing the arteries right away. She smirked when the crowd gasped at the sound of his head hitting the floor. Once again she deactivated her father's lightsaber and pushed through the stunned crowd to where her father was standing. As she approached she smiled triumphantly and said, "It's finally done. I've got my revenge and now I'm satisfied."  
  
You've done well my daughter. Indeed I am proud of you. He turned to Kym and gave her an order to have the prisoners taken away. Kym grabbed Kristen by the arm and both pretended that she had applied a great pressure on her arm. She shouted. "Guards take the prisoners back to the cells, as for the rest of you, you are dismissed." She led Kristen through the corridors to her quarters but just outside of them she stopped suddenly to speak to her friend, "Someone is waiting to congratulate you."  
  
"Gee I wonder who it could be." She laughed as she walked into her quarters not turning her back to see the huge smile that appeared on Kym's face, but she read her thoughts regarding her fiancée Eric. 


End file.
